Poetry in his Soul
by Lucinda
Summary: Response to AlternaSpike Challenge.  Glory has a plan to find her Key, and it involves Spike.  Contains violence. WillowSpike, WilliamTara
1. parts 1 to 4

author: Lucinda  
  
rating: pg 13  
  
pairings: will become Spike/Willow, William/Tara  
  
disclaimer: I hold no legal rights to any of the characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  
  
distribution: Bite Me, WLS, WWW, Cat, Red SoulMates, yourmission, Feen, - anyone else please ask.  
  
set in soon to be very AU season 5.  
  
response to Fayth's Alterna Spike Challenge: It must include a Spike that isn't our Spike. This could be in the form of Robot-Spike, Shape shifting Spike, Demon-Spike, Human-Spike, Time traveling Spike, or Different Dimension Spike.etc etc etc. Whoever must come to Sunnydale and find our Wills and wackiness ensues especially when the other Spike finds out. Set when you want, how you want whatever you want. Smut or fluff, you decide.   
  
Spike gritted his teeth, feeling frustrated, and bored. He hated this chip, hated it with a burning intensity, and hated the miserable Initiative that had put it in his head. But what could he do about it? Nothing. Even more frustrating was it's effects - he couldn't act violently against any human, couldn't even think particularly graphic violent scenes. He'd been starving... and discovered that he couldn't even feed on the miserable rats scurrying around in the allies. The real ones, that is. It was just to cruel and wretched.  
  
So, he'd gone to the Slayer. He'd hoped for answers, for an explanation and a cure. Turned out that the Slayer's then current boy-toy was one of those soldiers that had captured him. They'd put a chip in his head, the cause of all his misery. More frustrating, the Initiative didn't plan to remove it - ever. And he couldn't do anything about it because they were all human.  
  
The only person who seemed to have even the faintest bit of interest in helping him was Willow. But she was trying to figure out exactly how the chip worked, and what might disrupt it's functioning, or if it would be possible to remove it. He had no idea why the person that he'd threatened more than anyone but the Slayer would be willing to even consider helping him, but she was making the effort.  
  
Of course, her efforts kept getting preempted by the need to research the latest demon, the latest crisis. And she'd fallen miserably sick twice, so sick that she'd done little more than huddle in her bed, miserable and mostly asleep. He'd been the only person to stop by. Although the second time was after she'd started spending so much time with that other witch, and Tara had been by briefly, but only once.  
  
He wondered exactly what the deal was with those two. The Slayer seemed to think that they were an item, and so did Xander, but... Spike didn't think so. Their actions weren't quite right, and they never smelled of each other and sex. So, for some reason, they wanted everyone to assume that they were a couple.  
  
He'd even blackmailed that hopeless geek that had built a robot for a girlfriend into building him a Buffy-bot. Something with the face of the most annoying person, someone that he could hit, that he could vent his frustrations on. All of his frustrations. Ironically, the stupid robot was just as effective at patrolling as the real one. He'd had a program put in where she would go forth patrolling, killing the idiots dumb enough to attack, and then he would find her, they would fight, and maybe... Well, it helped a little.  
  
If he'd had any idea how much trouble that stupid robot would get him into, he'd have never had the damn thing built.  
  
Apparently, one of Glory's minions had seen him and the bot. They'd mistaken the Buffy-bot for the real Slayer, and somehow, either on their own or under their mistresses orders, he'd been captured. Again. He'd been able to fight her minions, and he'd tried, but they had swarmed him, hordes of them that had eventually just dragged him down by sheer numbers.  
  
He'd been taken to a warehouse, and chained between a pair of posts, wrists and ankles both chained, pulling him into an awkward position calculated to make him vulnerable, to inspire feeling of helplessness. It was working.  
  
"Well, vampire. It seems that you've got the Slayer twisted around your finger. Want to tell me how?" The voice sounded a bit petulant, arrogant and demanding. The speaker was a woman, blond curls spiraling down her back, a short red dress barely covering her. She radiated power and menace unlike anything he'd ever encountered, even more than Acathala.  
  
He felt something inside of him wanting to curl up and hide. He tried to squash the impulse. "I'm not telling you anything."  
  
She didn't like his defiance.  
  
Any shred of doubt about her annoyance were soon erased as she had him whipped until his back was a sticky screaming mass of pain, strips of skin hanging, bone and muscle exposed to the damp air. The whole time, she demanded answers, her voice cooing that the pain would stop if he would just tell her how to get her key back.  
  
When she reached into his chest, her red-painted nails scraping over his heart, he could do no more than scream, part of him wishing desperately that he could tell her something, anything to make the pain stop. But he didn't know about this key. Most of him, forged by his early years at the non-mercy of Angelus and Darla, honed by almost a century with Dru, polished by this chip, refused to give in, to allow her mastery over him. He'd rather die.  
  
It felt like that was what would happen to him. He would be beaten, ripped into, tortured to death in an effort to gain information that he didn't have. He couldn't even scream anymore. He'd tried not to even give her that much satisfaction, but the pain had grown too intense. It had been when she'd poured something over his back, something that had burned worse than holy water over his spine and muscles, sending him into near convulsions that the screams had come, continuing until his throat was too raw for even a squeak.  
  
In the end, she pouted at him, one blood covered hand resting on her chin as she looked at him. "This, entertaining as it is, gains me nothing. He's not breaking from the torture. Something else would be needed for this to work... It would be so much easier if I could just reach in and take the information, but that doesn't work on vampires."  
  
She paced, her little skirt riding up, showing an expanse of pale thigh. "How to crack his shady mind open? It's not like I can just... but I can, can't I? I am Glorificus, terror of seven dimensions. I can get him."  
  
With a sharp gesture towards him, she issued her orders. "Take him away and leave him. I have a new plan."  
  
It hurt too much to do more than a pitiful whimper as he was dumped out of a van, rolling across a lawn, stopping when he connected to a hedge, offering a tiny thanks to whatever was responsible for that near mercy. Everything went black as he was wondering what time it was, and if he would even be awake for the fatal sunrise.  
  
end part 1.  
  
Willow had gone to her parent's house for the weekend, driven out by the repainting that was going on in the dorms. The dorms weren't closed, but apparently she was allergic to the fumes, because they were making her terribly ill. Her head hurt, and her stomach twisted, churning and heaving. She couldn't eat, the idea of food making her stomach feel even worse. And she was a bit worried about Spike.  
  
Not that she'd be able to tell anyone about that. Who could she mention it to that wouldn't freak out? Well... maybe Dawn, but... no, that didn't seem right. Dawn had enough stress being fourteen and having Buffy for a sister. She didn't need all of the 'what if's that Willow could envision happening to Spike. No, she would have to suffer in silence.  
  
Something - she wasn't certain what it was, but something woke her up. Had it been a noise? A disturbance in the force? It didn't matter what had woke her, she could feel... someone was in terrible pain outside. Someone that she knew...  
  
Pulling on a pair of sweat pants under her nightshirt, she slipped down the stairs, grabbing a short sword from the umbrella stand on the way out the door. Opening the door, she looked around, seeing nothing. Carefully, she crept along the sidewalk, alert, twitchy-nervous as she looked for the presence.  
  
The sword almost fell out of her hand when she saw Spike. She only recognized him because of his hair, because she'd certainly never seen him like this before. Never seen his back raw and bloody, hints of vertebra and ribs showing, strips of skin hanging down into the grass, the one wrist that she could see raw and bloody, fluids oozing from abused flesh. He was laying almost under the hedge, his feet bare, his body abused, no - tortured.  
  
She made an incoherent noise, darting forward to kneel beside him, looking over his injuries in dismayed horror. How had he... surely he was only still here because he was a vampire? She couldn't just leave him here. But how to get him inside without making the pain worse?  
  
In the end, she levitated him, using her magic to lift him up, floating him along the sidewalk, the little bloody bits of grass and leaves falling like gory breadcrumbs to mark his path... She had to whisper an invitation, relieved that he didn't need to be awake for it to work.  
  
Willow took him into the basement, the only place that she could think of where he wouldn't have to worry about sunlight. She kept him floating, turning him over slowly, looking at his injuries. His back had been... shredded, his wrists and ankles were raw, the skin rubbed and torn away as if by some sort of shackles, and there were horrible deep puncture looking wounds on his chest, wounds that looked as if they were infected.  
  
Her vision blurred for a moment with tears. She'd been right to worry. Apparently, he'd been abducted, tortured by someone, something. She had to help him.  
  
Carefully, she began using her magic to remove all of the bits of leaves and grass and shrub needles from his mangled back. She used a damp cloth, slightly warm, to try to wipe away the blood, had bandaged his wrists and ankles as gently as she could. But her power had limits, and in the end, she'd had to lower him onto an old mattress, carefully face down to spare his back. Spike would need blood to heal from this - a lot of blood.  
  
It was well after sunrise now, and she could think of only one place to get Spike the blood that he would need - Willie's. A glimpse of her reflection brought her up short - appalled at the sight of a pale figure streaked with blood. She darted towards the shower, her stomach heaving at the sight of her reflection. She looked half dead herself...  
  
By the time she'd emerged from her near scalding shower, her skin felt almost raw from frantic scrubbing, and Willow felt clean again. She put on simple clothing, a pair of jeans and a comfortable shirt and went towards Willie's. He would be there... and if he wasn't? Well... Spike needed blood, she would have to come up with a plan B if Willie wasn't there.  
  
Fortunately, there was somebody moving inside Willie's Alibi, and she knocked on the door. The only response was a muffled voice that might have been 'go away'.  
  
A push of magic and the door rattled, made a series of clicks, and flung itself open, allowing her to walk into the little bar. She saw Willie, standing near his bar with a look of unwelcome surprise on his face. "Hello, Willie. I need blood. Human."  
  
He'd started backing away, babbling nervously about being unsuitable for any sort of ritual, and probably bad tasting and... It was clear that he was afraid of Willow for some reason.  
  
"It's not for a spell. I have a hungry vampire at my house, and I was getting carry out. I didn't intend for you to be the carry out. Now, are you going to offer to sell me some human blood - fresh mind you, or..." She let her voice trail off, still trying to devise plan B.   
  
Willie practically sprinted for his back room, emerging with a cooler full of red cross packets. He was pale, and shaky, and stammered something about being sure that they could come to a reasonable price...  
  
Willow pulled two hundred dollars from her wallet, dropping it on the counter as she used a bit of power to pull the cooler towards her, catching it. "Thanks, Willie."  
  
Making her way back home, she wondered how to get a sleeping vampire to drink the blood. Especially since she was fairly sure that she was out of magic.  
  
end part 2.  
  
  
  
In the end, it had been a somewhat messy, and rather painful experience. She'd had to roll him over onto his back, which had caused him to wake up screaming, a growl rumbling in his chest, teeth sharp, his eyes amber and bloodshot. He'd looked around without apparent comprehension for a few moments, before looking at her in puzzlement.  
  
"Will..." His voice was a raspy whisper. His eyes were still amber, and he looked so confused.  
  
"I'm sorry... but I had to turn you over. I got you some blood. Of course, since you're awake, that makes the whole thing a lot easier..." Willow felt relieved. He was awake, he could get better. She pulled the cooler over, opening it and lifting out the first bag. "I picked up some blood from Willie's."  
  
His hand was shaking as he reached for it. Grabbing it, he pulled it close, wincing as the movement pulled against his back. He bit into the package, not even bothering to ask if it could be heated, or put into a mug, or... anything. He just sucked it down, like a straw-less Capri-Sun.  
  
"I got more. You looked... Spike, you're in bad shape. Which I'm sure you already know, and I want to help you. Probably silly of me, considering the number of times you said you'd kill all of us when the chip was out, but you need help." She was babbling. God, when would she get over that embarrassing tendency?  
  
Spike drank more of the packets, his hand shaking a bit less, the injuries starting to heal. At least, the ones on his wrists and the bruises on his face were healing. He was still holding himself rigidly upright. There was near silence for a few minutes, broken only by the sounds of Spike draining the bags of blood, letting them fall to the floor.  
  
He looked up, his eyes still golden, still filled with pain, but now alert, aware of his surroundings. His voice was still harshly rasping, as if... as if the inside of his throat was raw. "Thanks."  
  
She let him drink more of the blood, a corner of her mind trying to keep a running total of how much he'd drank. Twelve, thirteen bags? Surely easily enough to have drained a person entirely. And he still looked terrible, still had this drawn, hungry edge to him. "Who did this to you?"  
  
"I think it was Glory. She thinks I know where the key is." His voice sounded... odd, almost cracked inside.  
  
Dots connected for Willow. "She was torturing you for the information. But... you don't know. None of us know what this key thing is."  
  
He nodded, his eyes filled with something that wasn't quite guilt, more like shame. "I would have told her... to make it stop. But I didn't know."  
  
"She's evil, and scary. But... I can try to help you get better." Willow didn't know quite what to say. Offer sympathy? No, surely Spike wouldn't want that, not from her.  
  
"How did you find me?" He looked at her, his eyes puzzled, and hints of worry.  
  
He didn't know? Willow felt the startlement move through her. But, he'd been so badly injured... "Spike, you were under the hedge in front of my house. Something, I don't know what, woke me up, and I found you outside."  
  
"Bloody hell... was that deliberate?" Spike's voice was filled with so many differing emotions that Willow couldn't quite decipher the subtext. But there was a lot of underlying meaning.  
  
Willow shivered. "no... it can't be. If they know where we live, why wouldn't they come after us? Maybe even search our houses for the whole key thing? So... it had to have been a coincidence." Willow could hear the uncertainty in her voice.  
  
"Red... she's up to something. Something that she thinks will let her find the key." He looked very worried, one hand catching her wrist to make sure that she paid attention.  
  
Glory was up to something to get her key? That couldn't be good. "She tried to make you talk... but why didn't she just... Couldn't she just pull it out of your head?" Willow paused, thinking that that hadn't sounded quite right. "Not that I want her... I mean, it wouldn't be good, but... umm, why didn't she?"  
  
"Apparently she can't get into the mind of a vampire. But she had a plan." Spike drank another packet, making a slight face at the temperature. "She called herself Glorifucus... terror of seven dimensions, or some such."  
  
"I don't think we're going to like her plan." Willow couldn't help it. She knew the statement was obvious - if the big evil has a plan for destruction, you never like it. "Maybe having a name will let us get some information?"  
  
"Slim chance, but... better than nothing." The words came slowly, reluctantly. "Best have the Watcher start looking. Paid enough for the name, might as well try to get something from it."  
  
end part 3.  
  
  
  
Glory was muttering to herself as she directed two of her minions to draw out the diagrams. Another was carefully attempting to place the bowls of incense, a strange blend that she found soothing and relaxing. It had taken them such a long time to clean up the floor from questioning that vampire. He'd bled all over, creating quite the stain.   
  
Honestly, vampires and minions these days... neither were satisfactory. The vampire had defied her, refusing her reasonable and nearly polite request for her key. So stubborn, he hadn't even wanted to scream in appreciation of her efforts.  
  
As for the minions... no better than third rate at their best. Clumsy, awkward, unattractive... It was very demeaning. At least they were properly respectful, never looking into her eyes, rushing to obey her slightest whim... They were properly respectful. And fairly obedient.  
  
But she wanted her Key.  
  
That vampire couldn't have bent the Slayer to his will on his own. Obviously, that meant that he had the key, or something useful to him. She wouldn't rest until she had her key back, until she could return home.  
  
She still owed that stupid council of lesser gods for throwing her out. They'd been jealous of her beauty, of her power, so they'd banished her here. When she got back... heads would roll, baby.  
  
"Not telling me where my Key is... Miserable disrespectful leech. I'll fix him... figure out just how to make him beg, how to break that little fortress mind. Just the right way to get what I need. Can't read him now, but the way he was then, before becoming a vampire... Doesn't change that much getting turned... no, learn how to break the mortal, learn how to break the vampire.  
  
She smiled as she surveyed their efforts. Everything should be ready by moonrise. "I am brilliant."  
  
end part 4. 


	2. parts 5 to 8

Spike had closed his eyes, allowing a moment of near bliss at the taste of human blood in his mouth again. Not only the taste of human, but his stomach felt almost uncomfortably full. The down side was the reason why it had happened. No, he hadn't got the bloody chip out, hadn't been able to slaughter the Slayer and bathe in her blood. Instead, he'd been kidnapped and tortured by the scariest evil woman that he'd ever seen, and left to die. Or maybe he'd been intended to barely escape, and be a helpless defenseless wretch when the decided to get him for round two. His body ached all over, especially his back, still a mass of burning pain as his muscles and skin re-knit. Some of the bones had a particular itchy feeling that he knew meant they'd taken injury as well. He hadn't got this blood himself.  
  
Willow had got it for him. She'd gone to Willie's and brought him back blood... easily the equivalent of three grown men. She's tried to tend his wounds, even picking out all the bits of grass and leaves. She'd done her best to help him. It gave him this odd, uncertain feeling. He didn't understand why she would go to the effort, why bestir herself to help him. But she had, and he was grateful, and amazed, and thankful to the very depths of his heart. And once again his ideas of what she could and couldn't do had been turned upside down and shaken.  
  
"Spike? Are you feeling better?" Willow's voice found him, apparently finished with her conversation with whoever had called on the telephone.  
  
He gave a small smirk. "Much better than earlier, Red. But I'm still not quite up to a hundred percent. Who called?"  
  
She sighed, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, the bottom of the lock curling around her ear like a trickle of blood. "Giles called. He's been looking for information on that name, and wants us to come over to hear the news. Sort of makes me thing he found something and it's bad, you know? Anyhow, he's got Anya helping with the research, and Tara and Xander are supposed to be over to make sure we get there safely."  
  
Considering not only her words, but what she hadn't said, Spike frowned. "What's up with you and Tara anyhow? I know the two of you aren't shagging, so why's everyone think you are?"  
  
Willow blushed. "I... we... You aren't supposed to know that. Everyone's supposed to think that we ARE shagging, as you put it. That keeps me safe from Buffy's matchmaking, and... Tara... she had a few problems. She's sort of using me as a shield from unwanted attention. It's a mutual using thing... except that that sounds so calculatingly mercenary."  
  
"How do you know I won't let out your little secret?" He grinned, hoping that she knew he was teasing her, hoping that she'd blush.  
  
Willow did blush, turning a deep near red that went badly with her hair. The blush didn't hide her almost wicked smile, however. "Got a plan for that. If you try, then we have a cover story - you wanted to make our lesbian duo into a torrid threesome and we turned you down. So, the whole jealousy thing."  
  
"Hey! That's... that's... that would be pretty effective, actually." Spike felt himself grinning, wondering how he'd missed the fact that Willow had such a devious streak in her. "Of course, if you ever decided to try that torrid threesome idea... I'd be delighted to help out."  
  
Willow giggled, her eyes dancing with amusement. "Nah... not going to happen. You are't Tara's type at all."  
  
"I think I'm offended. Why wouldn't I be her type? What's wrong with me?" Spike pretended a bit more outrage than he actually felt. And then it hit him - Willow had said that he wasn't Tara's type. Not that he wasn't Willow's type. Hmmmm... That little fact made wheels start turning in the depths of his mind.  
  
Dropping to sit beside him, Willow grinned. "You're much too scary for her. Too much the big bad, the predatory dangerous type that is sure to have vast appetites and exotic tastes. She'd rather have someone a bit more quiet, maybe even a bit shy. More inclined to poetry readings than wrestling."  
  
Tara thought he was too scary? He had to smile at that, remembering all the effort it had taken to get to be the big bad that he was today. "Not easy to become a big bad. It's sort of reassuring to know that someone's still afraid of me. But... becoming a vampire can liberate your dark side, bring out all sorts of things you didn't know were lurking in there. Want to try it?"  
  
"Eeep. Umm... I've seen vampire Willow. We don't need her here right now. Short attention span, rampant sex drive with a lack of discrimination... No, definitely no return of vamp Willow." Willow had this almost nervous expression, and the faintest thread of fear had entered her scent.  
  
Spike grinned, trying to imagine a vampire Willow, one with an aggressive sexuality and less inhibitions. "How did you see... How do you know what you'd be like?"  
  
"I really hope that I'd never be quite like her even if I did get turned. Although I'm starting to think that the leather isn't quite so bad... I think it should make a difference that I wouldn't... couldn't have the same Sire that she did, and she was insecure fifteen year old Willow, not the me that I am today, if that makes sense." Willow paused, as if trying to explain her objections to the vampire version to a vampire. "She couldn't stay focused on a task very long, she wasn't particularly selective about her sexual partners, and she had no concept of discretion. And she was having sex with the Master. Euugh."  
  
Remembering the one time that he'd ever met the Master, Spike winced. "Blegghh. I can see your point. But you aren't the same person that you were at fifteen, you wouldn't become her. And the Master's dead, so that wouldn't be an issue."   
  
"You sound so confident of that. But we have to start getting you together so that we can go listen to Giles." Willow didn't sound upset with him.  
  
He wished that he could understand why it seemed so important that she wasn't upset. "Clothing? Mine is a bit worse for wear. And if you ever want to find out how the new you would turn out, let me know. I'd be happy to have you as my childe."  
  
She froze, looking at him with wide eyes. "You... you would want to turn me? To have me as your childe? To actually... It would be different to have a parent watching over me for a while..." She shook her head, as if trying to clear things away. "I got you some extra things. Dark jeans, a black tee shirt. It will have to do for now. And you left a pair of boots over at Xander's so you don't need to have bare feet."  
  
Carefully, he changed into the new clothing, testing to see just how badly everything still protested to movement. Willow hadn't reacted the way he'd expected at all. No protests about not wanting turned, she'd just... Focused on the concerned Sire aspect of it. There had to be some significance to that. "Right then, off to see the Watcher."  
  
ed part 5.  
  
  
  
Xander and Tara had arrived, and there had been a quite spectacular looking hug between Willow and Tara, causing Xander to try not to stare. Seeing their bodies pressed together like that, Spike could definitely understand the staring. He looked himself, wondering how they could... Well, it looked convincing.  
  
"Giles wanted us to meet him at the Magic Box." Tara's voice was low, and she seemed worried about something.  
  
Xander just shook his head, muttering something about exhibitionist tendencies. Then, in a louder voice he added "Anya said she had a weird feeling of something going to happen, some portent of doom type thing. Any second votes?"  
  
Tara looked over, a half smile on her face. "Sunnydale, remember? When isn't something bad about to happen?"  
  
Willow opened her mouth to say something and just stopped. She closed her eyes, apparently concentrating on listening to something. "Anya's right... I can feel something building... the park?"  
  
Xander just shrugged. "Maybe we should cut through the park on the way back then? Just to see if there's anything."  
  
Tara gave him a weak glare. "You just don't want to hurry back."  
  
The teasing continued as they moved towards the park, going slowly partly ot of the pretext of being thorough, partly out of the faint hope of delaying the news that there was nothing they could do, just an all powerful scary evil that would rip them into painfully screaming slivers with her manicured nails. But then Spike started to feel it too, althoguh he couldn't exactly describe it. The air seemed to get thicker, and there were some of her nasty little minions lurking.  
  
"She sent some minions. Something's definitely up." Spike felt his body tense, trying to be ready for a fight, but there was something else... a tendril of fear at the idea of going back. Fear of ever being in her clutches again.  
  
The group spread out a little bit, enough to have a clear view of the area. They tried to locate the various minions, hoping to prevent them from... well, whatever purpose they had here was probably on Glory's orders, which meant it was probably bad for them.  
  
Slowly, the air began to move, almost as if it was being sucked towards a point, a tiny glowing flicker of pale green. The air swirled around, forming what looked almost like a whirlpool of air tilted onto it's side, sucking up grass clippings, small twigs, and bits of dust. Then, it was as if the current changed directions, and with a flicker of pale green across the vortex, a shape like a man emerged, falling to the ground. The minions surged towards the shape, clearly attempting to capture the who or whatever the portal thingy had dropped.  
  
The Scoobies attacked the minions, and Spike was growling, rejoicing in the chance to hurt these minions, the same creatures that had grabbed him before, the same things that had left him under Willow's hedge. His features had shifted, and he roared a challenge, for the moment allowing himself to give reign to the darkest violent impulses inside of him. He was dimly aware of Tara and Willow doing magical things, of Xander and the person from the portal trying to fight the minions. Finally, there were no more to fight, the entire group of brown demons either dead or run away.  
  
Slowly, he let himself go calm again, every muscle once more screaming agonized protests. He felt the rumbling growl cease, and realized that there was another scent in the air, the scent of the person from the portal. A human scent, one that seemed oddly terribly familiar.  
  
"By chance could someone kindly explain what just happened?" The confused voice carried the unmistakable tones of a proper education, of wealth and correct etiquette. The voice sounded...  
  
Spike spun around, looking at the person that the portal had spat forth. Shoulder length brown hair pulled back by a scrap of ribbon. A brown wool suit, now torn and with bits of leaves and grass clinging to it. A pair of wire frame spectacles perched on his nose, framing confused blue eyes. "Oh bloody hell."  
  
The newly arrived person's eyes grew wide, and he stepped back in alarm. "A vampire!"  
  
Hearing the rapid heartbeat of the man in front of him, recognizing those features, those horrible spectacles, Spike could only repeat his words. "Oh bloody hell."  
  
The others were staring at him and at the mortal looking terrified at Spike. There was no recognition in the mortal's eyes, but Spike didn't need it. "Meet William Exeter, of London."  
  
"Spike?" It was Willow who asked the question on their minds. "How do you know who he is?"  
  
He grimaced, allowing his features to return to their human shape. "Once upon a time I used to be him."  
  
end part 6.  
  
"WHAT?!?" The shocked response came from almost everyone.  
  
"But... but he doesn't look like a demented rampaging killer." Xander's words tumbled out.  
  
"Glasses? And... h-h looks sort of... scholarly, sort of like Giles." Tara's soft words weren't so much a question as an observation.  
  
"I most certainly am NOT a vampire! I assure you that I am very much alive. Can anyone help me get back home?" William's voice carried worry and a bit of concern.  
  
Spike glared at everyone, wondering why Willow hadn't made some sort of comment. "I am not demented, that was Dru. I haven't had a bloody rampage for quite a while now, and he's not a vampire. I used to be mortal. Now, I'm not. As for you, William, you can't get home. You aren't in England, definitely not in London, and the year is two thousand and one."  
  
Willow's voice was soft, only heard due to the stunned silence in the park. "Glory's spell brought him here for a reason. She wanted to get him. Therefore, I suggest we keep him... William, that is, away from her."  
  
"I... could take him back to the apartment. Help him get adjusted to here and now." Tara's offer sounded a bit hesitant, and she kept glancing at William, and then away again. "Besides, Giles in big danger mode... it might be a bit much for him."  
  
Willow nodded, apparently deep in thought. "Yeah... that should work. A lot of things have changed since he got up this morning. The rest of us can go talk to Giles and explain this new development."  
  
So they resumed their trip to the Magic Box. Whatever Giles had wanted to tell them would still be important. They would also need to tell Giles about the arrival of William, and try to figure out what it meant.  
  
"Do you think Tara just wanted to get him alone with her?" Spike leaned over, whispering the question to Willow.  
  
Willow looked up at him, eyes wide with surprise. "I don't think... not like that! That would be more Anya's speed, not Tara's. She might try to learn a bit more about him though..."  
  
"Best hope he doesn't show her his poetry, the poor bloke. Bloody awful stuff." Spike gave a small shudder, not just at the memory of the disastrous reception his poetry'd received, but at the idea that now, these people would learn about the person he'd once been. How pitiful and hopeless he'd been, mooning over some bird that wouldn't give him the time of day.  
  
"Poetry?" Her whisper was filled with amazement. "But... Tara likes poetry. That might not go too badly for him. I didn't know that you used to write poetry, Spike."  
  
"I stopped." He hoped that Willow would let the subject drop. Poetry lead to pain and humiliation.  
  
Willow was giving him this oddly thoughtful look. Somehow, he'd become the focus of her musings. With a sinking feeling, he suspected that it was because of the glimpse into his past that William had offered her. She was the observant one, just seeing him would tell Willow a lot. The idea made him feel oddly nervous. What if she didn't like William? What if she thought he was as miserable as Cecily had? When did it start to matter what Willow thought of him?  
  
"I wonder what made Glory think you know something about the Key, anyhow."  
  
end part 7.  
  
Willow was trying to make sense out of everything. For some reason, Glory thought that Spike had or knew something about this mysterious Key thing. Spike didn't want to talk about why Glory thought that he knew something. Glory had tortured Spike to try to get him to talk, and had her minions dump him afterwards. Glory'd almost killed Spike. Willow wasn't quite certain why the idea upset her so much. Spike had threatened to kill them all in general and specific many times. He wanted to turn her, which should really bother her far more than it did. He was still in love with Dru. Even if he didn't talk about her anymore, you don't spend over a century with a person, have them break your heart and just wake up a few months later all better.  
  
Spike hadn't told Glory what she wanted to know, mainly because he didn't know it either. But Glory wouldn't accept that answer, so... Obviously, Glory had some sort of plan to get information. How did that connect with her not being able to read vampires and using a big scary spell to pull the mortal version of Spike to Sunnydale? Did she think that Spike had known about her key even then? Or... was William some sort of test model? She felt herself run cold at the idea. That would be evil, despicable... well within the things that Glory would be willing to do, actually.  
  
But she was filled with so many questions after seeing William. If that was how Spike had been as a human... he'd changed a lot after being turned. Had it been gradual, or just... I'm dead now, cut and bleach the hair, loose the spectacles, change the wardrobe? Had it been just being changed, or had he deliberately reinvented himself, the way that actors and musicians sometimes did? How much of William was left in Spike? How much of Spike lay buried inside William? Would William be able to adjust to being here, almost two hundred years later in time?  
  
Remembering the way Tara had been looking at the confused young man, she had the feeling that he'd have quite a bit of help. And William had been a poet? Most likely Tara would be smitten. Best hope that William treated her gently. Hmm... if Tara hooked up with William, that would effectively end the lesbian charade, leaving Willow free to... But that didn't matter. She didn't do well with dates. They were always falling short of her internal standards, only, they really didn't even go asking to begin with.  
  
"All we have to do is survive this... hopefully without anyone becoming dead... or deader than they already are." She wasn't quite certain why the words emerged, having been lost in thought.  
  
Spike reached out, his hand touching her elbow for a brief moment. "Sounds good, Red. But how do we make that happen?"  
  
Willow tried to smile, looking at his intense blue eyes. "I... really wish I knew."  
  
They entered the store, slouching behind Xander, who immediately flipped open the donut box. Holding a powdered donut, Xander looked over at Giles and Anya and made his statement in his best profound voice. "Strange things are afoot at the Circle K."  
  
"You mean I was right? What happened? You didn't get hurt, did you?" Anya was beside Xander, one hand touching his arm, curling over the muscles in what could have been possessiveness or admiration.  
  
Giles looked at them, his eyes filled with worry. "Where's Tara?"  
  
Willow sighed. "Well, that's sort of an interesting story. The short version is that there was a magical portal vortex thing that spat out a person, and Tara took him home to try to adjust. umm... we're pretty sure that it was Glory's doing, her minions tried to grab him. He's... umm... he's the guy who later became Spike."  
  
That had been fairly short, covered the main points, and shouldn't have been confusing. Except that she was already feeling confused over the fact that there was now William, Tara seemed interested in William, they had an unknown evil woman trying to get William, and would William being here affect Spike's existence in a creepy Back to the Future no longer existing sort of way?  
  
"She pulled someone through time? But... that could cause issues with Spike existing, depending on what spell she used. It could cause a dimensional shift, or disrupt an alternate reality..." Anya was frowning. "Just remember that this wasn't my fault. Not like that other Willow."  
  
Giles frowned at his teacup. "What would she want with William? Unless... no, someone from two centuries ago wouldn't know about her Key. Which reminds me, I did some research on that name that you gave us."  
  
Frowning, Giles sank into a chair. "She's a hell-goddess. I found some records of her exploits. Very violent and vicious, rather vain as well. One source connects her to the Greek Maenads, powerful madwomen who followed Dionysus. Another story tries to connect her to Teshub, a powerful force of destruction from Babylonian myth. I have no idea what could stop her."  
  
"Way to be Mister Sunshine." Xander's dry comment made people wince.  
  
"We can't just give up. How was Teshub dealt with in the Babylonian myth? I'm not going to just step back and let her take over or whatever she wants. She's evil, and cruel, and... I don't like her."  
  
Spike gave a small snort. "Because you don't like her? Can't pull the same trick that got rid of Teshub - another god had to drop a volcano on him to contain him. Didn't kill him, just locked him away."  
  
Giles looked surprised. "Ahh... yes, Spike is correct about the story of Teshub. And I do not advise attempting to blow up another building."  
  
Anya made a small motion, almost like waving her hand. "D'Hoffryn said something about a Glorificus once. Apparently, that was someone thrown out of one of the more powerful demon councils. There's nothing of the same power level that's been banished here before. And she's much worse than an Asencion."  
  
Willow sank into another chair, her mind spinning. "A hell goddess... a powerful demon worse than the Mayor... oh dear. This is going to turn out really bad."  
  
end part 8. 


	3. parts 9 to 13

Spike scowled as he remembered the torments that had been inflicted on him in the pursuit of information. Tortures that the mortal that he'd once been would have no way to deal with. Tortures that he'd rather the mortal version didn't experience, and certainly didn't want to repeat himself. He was also convinced that Glory would be perfectly willing to do all that and more to every single person here to get what she wanted. Unless she just sucked it out of their heads turning them into a raving lunatic.  
  
He realized that the memories were making him growl, and tried to control his emotions. Looking at Giles, he demanded "Isn't there something you lot can do to slow her down, stop her? Get her away from here? Shouldn't there be something useful in those damn books?"  
  
"Now, you seem to be over reacting just a bit..." The Watcher's words sounded as if he was afraid of being attacked.  
  
Willow placed one hand on Giles' arm. "You didn't see how bad he looked when she was done with him, Giles. It was... umm... do you remember the victims of the Kshaga? How their backs had been ripped open? Sort of like that, with injuries elsewhere too. I can understand why he'd rather not let her be able to do it again."  
  
Apparently, Willow's description made a graphic impression on Rupert Giles. "oh dear lord... that bad? But... how did he recover at all? How did he regain consciousness?"  
  
"I picked him up some blood at Willies and fed it to him. A lot of blood. What he really means is the same thing I mean. I don't like her, and I want us to find a way to stop her." There was a core to her voice, not fear, but something strong, something that wouldn't let her break.  
  
Turning to a book, Giles flipped pages while Spike tried to find something on the demons that were her minions. They hadn't seemed that tough one to one, but the problem was that they traveled in groups. Eventually, he found them listed as a minor entry in a dusty old book. It didn't have much of use to say, they were numerous, had a twelve year life cycle, and tended to make blindly obedient minions for just about any power that wanted demony minions. Any method that would kill a human would kill them.  
  
"This... might be a possibility. If we can bind her... possibly place her into a non-mobile form, like a statue or a gem of some sort..." Giles looked hopeful. "Of course, there are complications to the ritual. It must be cast during a full moon, and the casters must have precise focus and control for it to work."  
  
"Won't she... be able to feel it?" Willow's voice was soft, as if she didn't want to crush their single possible hope.  
  
Giles sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Unfortunately, yes. Perhaps Tara might have a bit of insight, or a direction to start looking? We can't afford not to look into all of our resources for this matter."  
  
The door jangled, and Buffy entered the room, here eyes narrowed, hands on her hips and her shirt torn over her shoulder. "There are nasty grey munchkins running all over Sunnydale!"  
  
"Here's your solution, Rupert. Send Fluffy there out to annoy the evil bitch until you can finish your ritual." Spike's voice was harsh, and he glared at the Slayer, certain that somehow, this current mess could be blamed on her.  
  
She stalked over, eyes narrowed as she glared at him. "What did you call me? Why is he even here?"  
  
A half smile ghosted over his lips in accompaniment to his momentary concern over Glory. "I called you fluffy. The other comment was referring to the current big evil. Those soddin' grey munchkins are her minions. She wants" Spike paused, swallowing unneeded air. "She wants her key back. For some reason, she thinks that I have information about it."  
  
"Key? Again with this key thing. Giles, are keys covered in the whole Slayer hand book that you never had me read?" Buffy looked a bit deflated, as if she'd been looking forward to smacking him for some perceived insult.  
  
The teacup clinked a bit as it was put back onto the table. "No, Buffy, we don't know anything about this key. We don't know what it is, or where. We don't know what it is a key to."  
  
"She said she could use it to go home." His voice was low, and he tried not to shiver at the memories of his hours of torture.  
  
"To go... home?" Giles blinked as he repeated Spike's words. "But... her home is another dimension."  
  
A sudden horrible thought occurred to him and Spike looked over at Giles. "You're the Watcher, what happens when someone opens a portal to wherever it is that she considers home?"  
  
"errr... I'm not quite certain, but I am inclined to think that it would probably be detrimental to our safety." Giles smelled afraid, and turned to his books with renewed enthusiasm.  
  
Spike winced, imagining the sort of things that could happen. Hordes of demonic invaders, portals spewing fire and poisonous gasses... "Let's try to prevent that. Red, can you call Tara and see if she's got anything to say?"  
  
  
  
end part 9.  
  
  
  
  
  
William had followed the woman named Tara, hoping that she could explain what had happened. He'd been on his way home, having spent yet another evening watching the radiant Cecily dance with her more confident suitors. The ones that she acknowledged. Then, there had been this strange wind, and the glowing swirl in the air... and he'd fallen into dead grass surrounded by a horde of short, grey skinned wrinkly... things. The grey creatures had tried to seize him, and he'd been rescued by a group of strangely dressed people. There was a skinny girl with short red hair, a young man close to his own age with dark hair and this... colorful shirt with some sort of flowers or leaves on it, this beautiful girl Tara, and... a vampire.  
  
The vampire had looked dangerous, with pale hair and a scar over his eyebrow, sharp teeth and this leather coat... and he'd known exactly who he was. Had introduced him to the others. Had claimed to have been him, and that the swirling thing had sent him two hundred years into the future. He wasn't certain that he wanted to believe it, but... How could there be any other explanation?  
  
What had made him the most unhappy was the fact that the red haired woman had taken charge of the situation, and the words that she'd said. Someone named Glory had brought him here, for some unknown but probably bad purpose. They were intending to keep him away from Glory, whoever that was. He was just grateful that he'd gone away with Tara, instead of staying with the commanding red head or the vampire. His uncle was a Watcher, he knew a few things about vampires. Nasty creatures, what with the biting and the violence. And there was the no soul demon possessed corpse part of that as well. He shuddered.  
  
"Are you... are you alright? I know that Sunnydale can be pretty scary." Tara's voice sounded gentle, soothing. She was worried about him.  
  
He tried to smile, hoping that he could manage to keep some semblance of calm around such a lovely woman, especially considering her apparel... He could practically see every wondrous tempting curve to her. "It's... different than home. And more... monsters, I suppose."  
  
She sighed, her shoulders drooping a little. "Yeah... monsters. But not all monsters have sharp teeth and scales, some of them are pretty much humans. Like... my family."  
  
"Your... your family?" Surely he hadn't heard that correctly? How could her own flesh and blood do anything unkind to this woman?  
  
She looked at him, her eyes filled with such depths of pain that it made his heart ache. "They told me that I was part demon. That if I ever got above myself, the demon would come out and they'd have to kill me." She fumbled with a ring of remarkably tiny keys at a door, eventually finding one. She inserted it into a tiny slit in the doorknob, and opened the door. "They didn't want me to do anything beyond cooking and cleaning for them. For the rest of my life."  
  
He shook his head, trying to understand how people could be so cruel. He had no doubts that she spoke the truth, and indeed, he'd heard rumors of terrible cruelties even in London, even among the folk of good breeding and excellent families.  
  
"We're here. I think I have some bandages for those scrapes... and maybe we can find something for you to eat?" She moved into the room, the furniture looking softer, more rounded and welcoming than any that he'd seen before. There was a strange scent in the air, something he couldn't quite place. But it seemed perfect for her.   
  
He walked inside, looking around carefully. There was a shelf full of books, but they were not like any he'd seen before, with bright colors swirling over their covers, and the bindings themselves looked different. Another shelf had something similar to the flimsy paperbacks that he'd seen before, but these were obviously of a higher quality of construction, not to mention being much thicker. "Do you live here alone?"  
  
"There's Miss Kitty Fantastico, my cat. And Willow's over here a lot, but... yeah. Pretty much it's just me." Her voice was slightly muffled by the walls, and the sound seemed to be absorbed by the tightly woven soft carpets beneath his feet.  
  
William sighed as he allowed himself to sink into the welcoming softness of the chair. Such a welcoming place, not pretentious or intimidating, but... comfortable, soothing. Leaning back, he felt his muscles relaxing, the burning of all the terror and exertion fading. With a demanding meow, a furry body pressed itself against his arm, a familiar soothing insistence to be petted. Reaching, his hand encountered the soft fur of a cat, which then proceeded to walk onto his lap, purring loudly. A delightful calico, white and orange with grey stripes perched on his lap, purring and kneading his legs. With a small smile, he looked at the cat. "You must be Miss Kitty."  
  
The cat looked at him, its... her? expression one of the same smug superiority that cat's always held. The cat continued to purr as she made herself comfortable on his lap.  
  
"Yes, she does seem to have that effect. I don't think I've ever met a more welcoming person, or been in a more comfortable place. Do you think... could you put in a good word for me?" Perhaps it was silly to talk to the cat. But he whispered the words anyhow.  
  
Her perfume returned first, at once soothing and alluring. She came into the room, arms filled with a shining box that was for some reason blue. "I found the first aid kit. This should help with those injuries..."  
  
"err... thank you." He felt terribly awkward as she dabbed at his wounds, none of them very serious, but all quite unhappily painful. She smeared a pale yellow salve that had a not unpleasant but strange scent, and put on tiny bandages that held themselves to his flesh. "There. That's better."  
  
"So, William, what do you do?" Her voice was a bit hesitant, as if she feared he wouldn't want to answer her question.  
  
He smiled at her, glancing quickly at his scraped hands. "I'm a student at a university. History, mostly, with some languages and a bit of mythology. My uncle sort of insisted, you see."  
  
"Maybe you'll be able to adjust to being here. I mean, we can help you." She stammered a bit, as if she was unused to making those sort of decisions.  
  
They sat there for a while, feeling a bit awkward and sipping at some tea from delicate cups with a pattern of yellow leaves around the rim. There was a sudden noise, like an insistent bell being rung very quickly. He watched in bafflement as Tara walked over to what he'd assumed to be an ugly table ornament, and picked part of it up, holding it by her ear. She then spoke into it, as if it would answer her. "Yes, we got here safely. He's pretty sure that there's a lot different here than at home."  
  
"She's a what? Oh no... but... how could we do anything?" She sank into a chair, her face growing pale.  
  
William stood up, reaching out to touch her arm. "Tara? What do you hear? What is this... thing?"  
  
She looked up, for a moment her face blank with surprise. "Oh... it's a t-telephone. It lets people talk over a long distance. Right now, I'm talking to Willow. She said... Glory has a lot of power. Enough that... s-she's calling herself a g-goddess."  
  
"Oh dear." He almost sat down, remembering the lack of chair just in time. "Oh dear... umm... wait, there was something my uncle said... Apparently, these warlocks cast a spell that would drain the power of other wizards, essentially stealing it. Could they... maybe something similar to weaken her? Is there more to the plan than that, I hope?"  
  
Tara smiled at him, almost seeming radiant. He could feel the image imprinting to his memory, and words danced in his mind, trying to form verses, phrases to describe her appeal. She was breathtaking.  
  
"William said there was something he was told about a group of warlocks stealing magic... taking it away with a spell. Could we... would something like that work against her?"  
  
"Wonderful! That's good news. I'll just... h-help him adjust to being here." She was smiling again as she returned the shape in her hand to it's resting place, and she hugged him in delight. "We have a plan! We have a plan. Not a very detailed on yet, but a lot better than nothing."   
  
For a few moments, they clung to each other, bodies pressed together, delighted smiles on their faces. But eventually the moment ended, and she let go of him with a blush and a few awkward noises.  
  
"I'll j-just... go p-put the f-first aid kit away." She was still blushing as she retreated from the room.  
  
  
  
end part 10.  
  
  
  
  
  
Glory was not amused. She'd gone to considerable trouble to cast the ritual in such a way that the fragile mortal that had become the vampire would be brought to her, or one essentially identical in every mental aspect, so that she could find out how to break his mind and extract the information about her key. She'd taken precaution so that his arrival and eventual death wouldn't counteract the existence of the vampire, and so that he would arrive with his mind intact, in a place where her minions could capture him easily enough. But they had failed her. Apparently, they'd allowed themselves to be defeated by two mortal witches, a mortal man, and that annoying vampire that knew about her key. AND they'd taken the mortal incarnation of the vampire with them. Nothing was going according to her plan. And her nail polish was chipped.  
  
"How could you let this happen? How could you let them take him?" She glared at the groveling minions, their ugly grey shapes concealed by their ugly dark robes, fallen into groveling heaps on the floor. "That vampire is the only clue to finding my key!"  
  
One of the small huddled minions lifted it's head, looking at the flawless knee of their terrible mistress. "B-But s-surely your radiance can take the m-mortal back? P-perhaps we w-will be able to find them, to take the mortal from their keeping?"  
  
Pausing in her pacing, the high heels making her legs look longer, Glory studied the cowering minion. "A good point. Someone had better bring me that mortal. Unless you can find something else that will direct me to my Key instead. The Key is my main goal here, and I don't care too much how I get it back."  
  
Glory ran her hand over the clinging silk of her gown, frowning at it's deep crimson color. "And someone get me a few dresses in more than just red. I want a bit more variety in my wardrobe. And maybe I can try a bit of velvet while I'm at it."  
  
"Of course, as you command - it shall be done, oh Glorious One." Perhaps backing away slowly with noses to the ground wasn't particularly good for their enunciation, but these minions had learned that with this mistress, there could never be enough groveling.  
  
Retreating from the room, one of the grey minions turned to his neighbor, and gave a small, very nervous smile. "I think I know now why the world after death has no masters. It is supposed to be a place of peace, and rest."  
  
All the second minion could do was nod, understanding the sentiments entirely, but far too terrified of the Mistress's wrath to say anything. The Shining One was a wrathful and terrifying mistress.  
  
The demanding female was left alone, surrounded by decadent luxury. There were the remnants of her ritual, some fine jewelry, shimmering gowns, a vast assortment of makeup and perfumes, and a number of large mirrors so that she could admire the sleek grace of this form. Granted, she looked human, but as they were the most numerous species on this world, and the ones that ran most things, it was the proper shape for her to take. With a sigh, she settled onto a cushion in front of a large mirror, combing out her hair as she considered her next move.  
  
  
  
end part 11.  
  
  
  
  
  
Giles had been delighted by the news that Tara had relayed. Well, perhaps that wasn't quite the right way to describe it. The warlocks mentioned had certainly been up to terrible things, but if they could use that against Glory... There might be a chance that they could win. Or at least survive.   
  
"Now we need to find this spell... the one to take power form another individual. I think it would be in one of these books.... help me search them." He pulled out a box of books from the back room, some of the books that he'd tried to keep the teens from reading. Sometimes, he thought it had worked, while there were other times... Well, there were times when he wasn't so confident.  
  
Spike began flipping through the books, his motions fast enough that he was assuredly only skimming the pages, and Giles' first thought had been for the safety of the old volume. A second look had assured him that despite the vampire's casual posture, he was treating the book with care, and not harming it in the least. But there were the most appalling complaints and ill wishes to the people who'd written the pages. Then again, he remembered looking at the wretched handwriting and... eccentric spelling in these volumes.  
  
Willow's perusal was slower, and he had the impression that she was making mental notes about some of the things inside the old texts. "Mother's curse... no... Blessing of Priapus...OH! no, not that one." Her face had gone absolutely crimson, and Giles turned away, remembering the illustration that had gone with that entry. Spike had looked over, staring at Willow, and had the vampire just licked his lips while staring at Willow?  
  
"She's not on the menu. If not for her, you would be dead by now." Giles glared at Spike, hoping that no insidious plans of toying with Willow's affections were forming inside that devious mind. The chip prevented Spike from causing them physical injury, which was a far cry from rendering him harmless.  
  
Spike looked at him, an annoyed expression in his eyes, and something that wasn't quite a smirk flickering over his face. "Red's not quite as innocent as you'd like to think she is. Just because you're practically her father doesn't keep her safe. Or ignorant, especially with the things you fight."  
  
Rupert sighed, for a moment wishing for something stronger than tea. "That may be so, but if you break her heart... I will make you beg for death."  
  
"Right, right... Wouldn't do that to her anyhow. Not on purpose. She deserves better." Spike looked back at the book, scowling at the narrow, slanted German words. "Bloody idiot couldn't write very well, and he spelled worse..."  
  
"I think I found something." Willow's voice commanded their attention. "It isn't a step by step instructional, but it's got the basics. I think I could put together the how and try to pull it off..."  
  
Something almost akin to panic flowed through Rupert. "The procedure would be most risky, are you certain that there's enough to perform the spell? Is it a ritual?"  
  
Spike looked over at her, a smile almost over his lips. "So, you think you can put together a way to drink the power out of someone? Think it would be much like taking blood?"  
  
"Yes and maybe... Really didn't have a chance to discuss blood drinking verses working magic with my vampire double. Remind me to ask her if she ever comes back. There's a ritual connected, but that seems to be mainly to center the group, blend their energies, and form a protective circle in case of backlash. The actual... drainage part isn't detailed, but it looks like I could do it." There was a faint distraction to her voice, one that said she was already contemplating a way around the gaps in her information.   
  
With a low whistle, Spike shook his head. "How did you have a vampire double? I know it wasn't the year everyone turned into their costumes. And when was that anyhow?"  
  
"After your brief visit and near love spell. Anya brought her from an alternate dimension... She thought I needed to relax and have more fun with life. But that's not the point. We've all had weird doubles or possessions or temporary transformations. But... I think I can do this. Really." Willow's eyes were bright, and she was wearing an expression remarkably similar to her normal 'Resolve Face', as she called it.  
  
Glancing at the looping letters, the diagrams that were supposed to describe energy flows, and the scrawled shapes, he sighed. Upside down, it made no sense and looked dreadfully complicated. "Are you quite certain? Perhaps we should keep looking..."  
  
"I restored Angel's soul, didn't I? I've got a chart here that tells me how this is supposed to work, that's more than I had for the Restoration." She sounded far to calm, the tone of deep thought. "But it wouldn't hurt to keep looking, I suppose."  
  
Unfortunately, their research would continue. The full moon was still over a week away, and they wanted to be as prepared as possible. If there was a chance of improving their odds...  
  
As it turned out, William was useful in researching as well. Despite his unfamiliarity with modern appliances and conveniences, he seemed to be adjusting. He was never out alone, most often in the company of Tara. Apparently Willow felt very secure in her relationship with Tara, because she didn't appear to be worried or upset by the amounts of time that William and Tara spent together.  
  
  
  
end part 12.  
  
  
  
  
  
Four days of research had left their minds filled with obscure facts about demons, portals, and mystical rituals. They'd even found centuries old dirty jokes scrawled into some of the books. While they'd found a bit more about power draining, learning that there were a variety of methods and rituals that would work, they were still very nervous about the whole prospect of fighting Glory. Especially since Buffy and Dawn were so worried about their mother's trip to the hospital. Buffy had been so distracted and upset that she hadn't even argues with their pitiful story about William being a cousin of Giles that had dropped by to help with this latest research crisis. Spike had winced at the story.  
  
"I never appreciate how much the printing press improved things." Willow wondered if her comment would get her another odd look. There had been several, especially as she'd told Spike and William some of the stories about things that had happened in Sunnydale since she'd been helping Buffy.  
  
Tonight, they were walking towards the Rosenberg house, planning to rest there tonight, and have some food. She'd even arranged to have some blood there for Spike, purchased at Willie's. The snitch still seemed to be afraid of her for some reason that she couldn't quite figure out. Maybe they would be able to avoid having to explain the whole complicated William-Spike thing to Buffy until a long time from now, or maybe never.  
  
"It seems so quiet tonight." Tara's nervous comment was enough to set Willow on edge.   
  
"Yeah... and that's probably not a good thing." Willow could feel herself growing more nervous.  
  
They were swarmed by some of the grey minions, and began fighting to keep them away, to prevent them from taking William.  
  
"The Shining One wants the mortal!" One minions demanded, swinging a staff at Tara.  
  
Another was trying futilely to pull Spike away from the now bruised and bleeding body of a minion. "She brought him, and demands that he fulfill his purpose!"  
  
"Sod off, you miserable wretch! You can't have him!" Spike snarled, hitting the minion that had been tugging at his arm.   
  
Willow looked up, feeling... something in the air. It was this sensation of cold pressure, and she didn't like it. "Guys? Something... something's happening."  
  
Spike let go of the minion that he'd been pummeling, the body just flopping in a way that said the minion was unconscious at the least, possibly dead. He stepped closer to Willow, his muscles tensing. "It's her."  
  
Tara and William stepped closer to Willow and Spike, both of them radiating nervousness. "I d-don't l-like the feeling of th-that."  
  
"Well, both the vampire and the mortal in the same place. Guess this makes things simpler. Where is MY KEY!?" The angry demand came from a tall blond woman, her hair falling in curls over the tops of her shoulders, clad in a sleeveless teal velvet gown. She wore heels that had to be over three inches, and glared at them all.  
  
"I don't have your key." Spike's voice was flat, as if he was trying to control his emotions.  
  
Glory frowned at him. "The way the Slayer was behaving, you have something. I want my Key. We can do this the easy way, or the painful way. Well, actually, they're both easy for me."  
  
Willow felt Tara put up a protective shield, obviously hoping that it could help them. She tried to remember something that could help them now, anything. It came to her then, a spell that she'd been trying to master - object teleportation. "We need her to be away."  
  
"I hope this works..." She began the familiar magic, this time not caring where the object, where Glory went as long as it was away. She sent the threads of power towards Glory, wrapping them around her, and then simultaneously pulled the threads tight and pushed power into them until the spell took effect. All she could see was the glowing threads of power around a seething mass of dark red, like half dried blood.  
  
She felt as if something inside popped, and her head was spinning, throbbing. Lines danced in her view, and she couldn't see. But the seething mass of power that was Glory wasn't there anymore. "oohhh..."  
  
  
  
end part 13. 


	4. parts 14 to 18

author: Lucinda  
  
rating: pg 13  
  
pairings: will become Spike/Willow, William/Tara  
  
disclaimer: I hold no legal rights to any of the characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  
  
distribution: Bite Me, WLS, WWW, Cat, Red SoulMates, yourmission, Feen, - anyone else please ask.  
  
set in soon to be very AU season 5.  
  
response to Fayth's Alterna Spike Challenge:   
  
Spike had caught her before she could hit the ground, cradling Willow's limp body in his arms. The minions were gone, either killed, or fled, possibly from their mistress' wrath. William and Tara were close, reaching trembling hands towards Willow, eyes wide, as the scent of fear rolled from them. He touched her cheek, frowning as he watched the blood trickling from her nose, noticed the pallor of her skin.  
  
"I have a handkerchief." William's voice was awkwardly self conscious, but he was trying to help Willow. He began to gingerly dab at the blood with the scrap of white linen.  
  
Tara's fingers hovered over Willow's hair, not quite touching her friend. "She's not awake... that w-was too m-much magic, what if..."  
  
"She's got a steady heartbeat, a bit slow, but strong and steady. Breathing's even too. Let's get over there, then we can make sure there's nothing else. And she'll need something when she wakes up." Carefully, Spike shifted his grip on Willow's limp form, lifting her from the ground. "Feel like I should be on the cover of a bloody romance novel."  
  
"Nah... she's still fully dressed, and looks... not aware enough for a cover picture." Tara's voice almost managed amusement.  
  
They made their way to the Rosenberg house much more swiftly, and Tara fumbled with her key ring, producing a key to Willow's house in her shaking fingers. Unlocking the door, she rushed inside, her pulse still rapid, still leaving the scent of fear behind her like perfume.  
  
William followed Tara, looking troubled as he glanced towards Spike. "How will he be able to... Doesn't he need an invitation from Willow?"  
  
He couldn't help it, he gave a slightly feral grin to the mortal that he'd been as he carried Willow across the thresh hold. "Already got one from Red. She brought me inside after... She invited me in. Bandaged me up, gave me a safe place to sleep. Now, she's the one needing a bit of rest."  
  
Carefully, he laid her on the couch, slipping her shoes from her feet and tossing them into the corner. He brushed his fingers over her cheek, breathing in her scent, apples and something that wasn't quite cinnamon... She smelled wonderful. "Tara.. why isn't she waking up? You're the witch, explain this to me."  
  
William had cautiously settled himself into a chair, his blue eyes still dancing with questions and worries and fear as he looked at Willow. "Shouldn't she have needed more time, more preparation to do that? Herbs, powders, a protective circle of some sort?"  
  
Tara came back into the room, leaning against the chair that William was sitting in. "He's r-right, proper c-casting would use herbs or powders, a protective circle, and it would... take longer. Casting like that, all at once with just will and power... it's harder, more exhausting. It makes thing take more energy, that's why most witches don't do it. She's just... she's out of energy. So much out of energy that she's passed out. Trying too much can do that, if you go to far.  
  
Something inside of him seemed to ease as he heard Tara's response, her stammering fading as she focused on Willow's safety instead of her fear. Willow would be alright. She would wake up, and everything would be just fine. "What did she do, anyhow?"  
  
"She's been practicing a spell to teleport objects. But she's not very good at it, she can't control where the object goes, and sometimes, it does bad things to what the object was sitting on." Tara was frowning again, no longer reeking of fear. "But teleporting something that size... it's not a surprise that she's out cold afterwards. It would just... That took a lot of power."  
  
Something connected in his mind, something that he could almost follow the shape of. "How much power? Could you do it? Could the Watcher?"  
  
"No, I definitely couldn't. I don't think Giles could either. I think the two of us together could use a ritual to send something that size, but not... not just like that. That took a lot of power."  
  
The shape was gaining definition. "So, do you think she could use her magic on Glory again?"  
  
Tara frowned, her hands fluttering like pale birds. "Well, if she had the power once, she probably would have the power again, but... Glory would know if Willow tried to teleport her again, she could try to counter it."  
  
"I don't think that's what he means." William's voice was low, caught between worry and amazement. "The sheer audacity of the idea is... well, the scope of the task is incredibly daunting. I think he means could Willow use that power draining spell against Glory while you and Giles entrap her."  
  
"You win the prize, Exeter. We don't have a better plan." Spike's voice held a hint of growl as he remembered the evil woman, remembered the pain she'd inflicted. He tried to calm himself down, closing his eyes and focusing on Willow's heartbeat.  
  
Tara gasped, the scent of fear returning. "Oh goddess... that's crazy. Your talking about Willow going up against a... against an evil goddess."  
  
He looked up at her, certain that his eyes were amber. "We already are against her. Unless you fancy rolling over and playing carpet at her feet, we ARE against her right now. We don't want her to get this key, don't want her here, don't want her causing any more trouble. What we need is a way to make it work. Anyone got a better idea?" He paused, looking around, forcing his emotions back under control.  
  
"glass of water... excedrin... ohhhh" Willow's voice was little more than a weak croaking, almost like one of the frogs that she was so unsettled by.  
  
Spike helped her into a sitting position, slipping himself behind her so that she leaned back against him as William and Tara got the water and headache medicine. He wasn't quite certain why that took both of them. He brushed his fingers lightly over her hair, a faint smile on his lips.  
  
"Shhh luv, it will be okay. We're safe for now, thanks to you."  
  
  
  
end part 14.  
  
  
  
  
  
Tara had found the medicine for Willow while he'd found a glass and filled it with water. William found himself wondering if the vampire's plan might work. If Willow would be capable of taking power away from that... from HER. She'd been terrifying. He was also a bit unsettled that he'd known what the vampire... what Spike's crazy plan was. While there was something to the explanation of they didn't have a choice but to oppose Glory or try to flee, that still didn't explain why he had made the same jump of not quite logic as the vampire.  
  
Unless there had been something to the claim that he had once been William. But if Spike had once been William Exeter, he had changed a great deal, and far more than simply getting pointed teeth. He found himself thinking about those changes, about the claim that Spike had been William Exeter. It fascinated and frightened him all at once.  
  
Tara went to another room to call Rupert Giles on the telephone and explain what had happened. This left Willow leaning against Spike, apparently asleep, Spike, and himself in the room. Maybe he could get a few answers to some of his questions...  
  
"You said that you had been me, once upon a time." He looked at Spike, hoping that his questions wouldn't make the vampire angry. Tara had assured him that the vampire couldn't harm him, but her explanation hadn't reassured him very much. What was this chip thing anyhow? A chip of what?  
  
Spike glanced at him, his eyes wary, unframed by spectacles. "Yeah. It was a long time ago."  
  
Gathering his courage, William continued. "You seem... very different from me. How... was it becoming a vampire, or was it the passing of years?"  
  
One hand resting over Willow in a gesture that looked unexpectedly protective, Spike gave a small nod. "Both. Time and experience, and some determined effort. It started with Cecily. I... you... there was a poem. She rejected it, rejected me. Said I was beneath her, would never be good enough, rich enough."  
  
William sucked in his breath, mind turning to the poem that he'd been working on, a praise to Cecily's effulgent beauty. He'd planned to offer it to her at the Coming Out Ball for Belinda Carlisle. He almost feared the answer to his question. "What happened after that?"  
  
"Dru found me. She thought I'd be, how did she put it? A splendid tarnished knight. So, I tried to become what she wanted, become strong enough, dangerous enough. I became William the Bloody, then I became Spike. All to try to be strong enough for my ripe wicked plum." Spike's voice sounded almost melancholy with memories, old emotions.  
  
William swallowed, stunned by the depth of emotion that Spike had revealed. His uncle had claimed that vampires didn't feel, that they had no emotions, but it was obvious to anyone that Spike had feelings, that he had intense and passionate emotions. "Dru... your ripe wicked plum. Was she beautiful?"  
  
"Gorgeous. Her body was like one of the slender nymphs of classical Greek sculpture, her hair like spun twilight, her eyes like pools of shadow and secrets. But she was a faithless and fickle woman, and I was never quite good enough for long. She's still beautiful, but I'm done trying to be her tarnished knight. After over a century of frustration and disappointment, I can get a hint." He leaned back just a bit, something complex and indescribable in his eyes.  
  
William's mind turned over the description of Drusilla, trying to form an image of her. "She must have looked like a dark goddess."  
  
Spike gave a small smile, his fingers touching the short ends of Willow's hair. "Dark and terrible and fickle, that's Dru. Like Kali of India, maybe. But I think maybe I'd like a less fickle woman in my life now."  
  
Looking at the soft smile on the vampire's face, William had the suspicion that Spike had decided who he'd like as his new lady, the new goddess of his heart. But what did Willow think of this development? Considering her amazing and terrifying magical power and her confidence in the face of danger, surely she would be capable of dealing with the vampire. With a small shiver, he decided that he was by far more fortunate in his affections. Instead of a fiery and powerful witch, he'd fallen for his Athena, the lovely Tara. She was intelligent, sweet, shy, and had the delectable curves of a goddess. "Perhaps Aphrodite will be kinder in this century."  
  
Spike looked at him, and a smirk slid over his face. "You have a thing for the other witch, don't you? Tara with her home baked bread and the ginger cookies?"  
  
He could feel himself blushing. "She's... Tara is... sweet. Beautiful, charming, radiant with the warmth of her heart..."  
  
"Damn sight better than Cecily." Spike sighed, looking back at Willow. His fingers brushing over her cheek, which still looked very pale. "With a bit of luck, we'll all survive this and maybe you'll have a bit of something with her."  
  
William glanced up, seeing Tara emerging from the kitchen, where there was a telephone that clung to one of the walls. He felt his chest go tight, and knew that there would be this silly grin on his face. She was splendid. Ducking his head, he studied his hand as if it would reveal the secrets to victory.  
  
"I told Giles a-about encountering Glory. He was r-really worried. There were some 'oh dear's and he made this sort of clucking noise. But he thought that it was impressive and sort of unexpected. He agreed with Spike, that W-Willow might be able... that it just might work. How's she feeling?"  
  
"She's resting. I hope that she'll be alright by morning, although she'll probably sleep late and have a wicked headache when she gets up." Spike was still smiling at Willow, who had shifted a bit, almost snuggling against him in her slumber.  
  
"Probably very late." Tara tucked a lock of her hair back, wisps having fallen from her loose bun. "She saved us... certainly the two of you."  
  
William could only look at her, knowing that she was right. She was almost luminous... well, maybe that was the light from the kitchen spilling out behind her. But Tara was definitely worthy of poetry, of verses written in her praise.  
  
  
  
end part 15.  
  
  
  
Tara wasn't quite certain what to do now. Willow was asleep, and most likely would be well into tomorrow. She'd been to the Rosenberg house before, but that didn't mean that she felt comfortable assigning people beds. And the way that Spike had been looking at Willow... wow. She figured that either someone had seen through the lesbian act, or else he was just really persistent. Spike had definitely looked like he wanted some Willowy goodness.  
  
Maybe Willow would be alright with that, but she was just glad that he hadn't been interested in her. Spike was... scary, and dangerous. He had this overwhelming presence... it almost made her feel like she was drowning. How could he have once been William?  
  
She smiled as she thought of him. William was just wonderful. Handsome, clever, intelligent, courteous... and apparently he wrote poetry, although he hadn't let her see any. He was just too sweet, to nice. There weren't guys like that, so wonderful and charming and well, nice.  
  
"Spike, I think you'll have to take Willow to her room. But as for where to put you and William..." She shook her head, tendrils of hair trying to escape from her bun.  
  
"Right, you stay in her parent's room, William can have the couch or share the parents room with you, I'll either stay with Willow if I can sun proof the room or in the basement again." Spike's words seemed entirely sensible.  
  
Tara felt herself blushing as she pictured sharing a room, a bed with William. He made her feel... oh, goddess he made her feel. But she didn't think they would be doing that sort of thing. Not in Willow's parents' bedroom, anyhow. "That... t-that should be fine with me." She blushed, not quite looking at William.  
  
"I... ahhh... I'm sure that we can figure out something that will be acceptable." William was blushing and looking away.  
  
Spike only chuckled, sounding entirely evil and amused as he slowly, very carefully shifted and stood up, Willow in his arms. "You two figure it out. Just don't get to loud with it, Red needs her sleep."  
  
For a moment, Tara wished that the floor would open up and swallow her. But that would leave her in the basement, where Spike might be sleeping. She certainly didn't want that. "He... we wouldn't... ohhh."  
  
"He's most... improper. I wouldn't... that is, it would be most inappropriate if we were to..." William's stammers sounded almost as embarrassed as Tara felt.  
  
Glancing over, Tara discovered that it didn't look as if William was opposed to the idea of sharing a room with her. Actually, it looked like he might have some of those embarrassing wistful fantasies of his own. Her cheeks still very hot, she looked over at him. "I don't think the couch looks like it would be that comfortable."  
  
"Are you certain? That is, you wouldn't object..." William was turning redder and redder.  
  
She smiled, touching his arm, partly from the desire to reassure him and partly just to touch him. "You don't bite, and if anything tries... we'll be more likely to notice if we're not scattered."  
  
"So, as a simple matter of safety... we should...stay close?" William began to smile, his expression delighted and worried all at the same time. "I shall do my best to either keep you safe or make enough noise that everyone else knows there's trouble."  
  
"For safety, of course. And umm... right. We'll just look for some extra blankets." She knew that she was blushing again. But she just couldn't quite stop.  
  
They settled for sharing the bed, Tara under the covers, and William over those covers with a few more blankets for his own warmth. It was mostly innocent. They still ended up snuggled together, with her head resting on his shoulder, contented smiles on both faces.  
  
end part 16.  
  
Tara had been trying to take charge, not of everything, but of settling the domestic things. Getting everyone bandaged up, and safely settled for the night. She'd looked at him where he'd been talking to William, her eyes all soft and dewy as she looked at the mortal that he'd once been. "Spike, I think you'll have to take Willow to her room. But as for where to put you and William..."  
  
She had a good point about Willow, but he wasn't about to let her plan out his future. As nervous as she seemed around him, she'd probably want to lock him in the basement, although he'd already discovered that it didn't have a lock. "Right, you stay in her parent's room, William can have the couch or share the parents room with you, I'll either stay with Willow if I can sun proof the room or in the basement again."  
  
He could hear them stammering and protesting far too much about the idea of sharing a room. They were also blushing, which smelled pretty appealing. Not that he'd eat either of them if he could, Tara was to important to Willow, and as for William, he was... well, in a way, he was William and William was him. It would be wrong to think of his previous self as dinner. It was a bit tricky to move Willow into his arms and get up from the couch without disturbing her, but he managed. Glancing at the pair of them, neither quite looking at the other, he grinned. "You two figure it out. Just don't get to loud with it, Red needs her sleep."  
  
Maybe they could fool each other, but he knew that those two were interested. The idea didn't really bother him that much. Granted that Tara was much to shy and nervous for him, but she was far and above better than Cecily. And if they hooked up, then Willow and Tara wouldn't be playing their little lesbian make believe...  
  
Willow shifted a bit, her breath warm against his chest. Her hand loosely held his shirt, as if she didn't want him to leave her. She'd sent Glory away, all to keep them safe. It had been amazing and almost terrifying. It had almost looked as if she was standing in a breeze, her hair fluttering, and there had been this shimmer around her. That had been before she'd smelled like blood, before the crimson trickle from her nose, before Glory had vanished and Willow collapsed.  
  
He carried her to her room, feeling unexpectedly worried about dropping her, or bumping her into a wall or doorway. She'd slipped into his heart, making him care about her, making him want to keep her safe. Had it been when she'd found him under the hedge and got him into her basement? Had it been when she'd got him blood to heal? Had it been when she'd decided that they had to keep William safe? He had the suspicion that whatever this was that he felt for her had started before that. Maybe it had just been forced to the surface, brought out of hiding? Or maybe it was the idea that if she would save him, help him heal, then she couldn't hate him?  
  
But he'd known there was no hatred in her for him. Not now, if there had ever been. He'd watched her watching him, and while there was often puzzlement, sometimes anger, there was no hate. That made him feel better, for some reason.   
  
Tenderly, he lowered her to her bed, helping unfold her a bit, straightening her limbs, brushing at her hair a little. For a moment, he felt the urge to help her out of her clothing, to see her spread naked on the dark blue sheets. But no, she wasn't Sleeping Beauty waiting for her Prince, she was flattened by working massive amounts of magic, and all to keep him safe. With a small grin, he kicked off his shoes, closing her curtains.  
  
There was a small noise, almost like a whimper, and he could hear her heart beating faster, smell the faint scent of fear. He turned around, looking at WIllow. Her fingers were almost groping for something, a tiny frown on her face as her eyes flickered back and forth beneath their lids.   
  
"It's alright, luv. I'm still here, you didn't let her take me away. Tara and William are downstairs. I can stay here if you give me a few moments to put a blanket over the door. Don't fancy getting toasted." His voice seemed to sooth her.  
  
Walking over, he brushed his fingers over her cheek, the soft skin reminding him of flower petals. She felt awfully warm... She seemed to settle at his touch, as if the nightmares had retreated. Was it him? Slowly, he pulled his hand away, getting up from the bed and starting to walk towards the door. Her heart sped up a bit, and there was the faint scent of unhappiness, of fear.  
  
"After everything that I've said, I can't quite figure out why you'd want me to stay. I threatened you, your friends... I'm the big bad." He paused, looking at the still form of Willow. "You're right, I'm not going to hurt you. I just wish I knew how you can be so confident of that."  
  
If his presence kept her nightmares away, then he'd just have to stay with her. Just have to sleep close enough that she knew she wasn't alone. He pulled off his shirt, tossing it towards the corner before sliding into the bed with her. He pressed up against her, her body feeling so warm, almost scorching against his bare chest and stomach. She made a soft sigh, and snuggled back against him, her hair tickling at his chin.  
  
"Here I am, snuggled into bed with a hot woman, and there's no shagging. Someone must be laughing about this..." Closing his eyes, he settled more comfortably, one arm sliding around her, the other slipping under the pillow that cradled both of their heads. She smelled like the ocean and blood and something almost spicy that had to be magic.  
  
Resting his head against her, he knew that he would do his best to keep her safe. She mattered that much to him. He just wished that he could understand it better. Something deep inside stirred, a long buried urge, spinning words, phrases about alabaster skin and hair like a sunset, like embers, like flowing blood... No. He would write no poetry, not even about her. But it definitely was a sign that she'd curled up in his heart, as firmly as she was now curled in his arms.  
  
Maybe after Glory was gone, they could... He wondered if there could be something between them. If she felt anything for him. If she could see him as more than a vampire, more than someone who'd been their enemy. Let the future unfold as it will... for now, he had her in his arms. Spike was smiling as he drifted into slumber.  
  
end part 17.  
  
  
  
Willow woke up, slowly. It felt as if everything was burning, a stiff, hot protest to consciousness. Her eyes felt scratchy and dry, her tongue felt swollen and stiff. She almost felt feverish, and there was a welcome coolness along her back, with a line of cool around her waist...  
  
That would be Spike. He was pressed against her back, his bare arm draped over her side. He had snuggled up behind her, and somehow, she was in her very own bed. Thankfully, she was still almost completely dressed. She would have to be upset waking up naked with Spike and not having any idea how she'd gotten that way. Naked... was Spike even wearing anything?  
  
Very slowly, she turned, her head, no, her entire body throbbing in time with what she realized was her heartbeat. Spike's bare torso was the sight that met her eyes. Slowly, she looked over him, noting the planes of muscles, the smooth pale skin, the way his hair had become tousled in slumber... She wanted to carefully reach out and move the blanket, just enough to find out if he was naked.  
  
She wasn't quite sure if she was hoping that he was naked, or hoping that he had something on. Her hand moved carefully, tugging the blanket just a little, revealing the edge of charcoal colored denim. Surely that was relief flooding through her?  
  
Moving her legs enough to get out of her bed, she found herself unexpectedly sympathetic with so many movie portrayals of the Frankenstein creature, her body feeling sluggish and unresponsive. She staggered towards her dresser, grabbing a chang of clothing quickly before lurching to the bathroom, hoping that a shower would help her feel better. She slumped against the wall of the shower, feeling the water pound against her back.  
  
She had no idea how long it was before she left the shower, still uncertain what temperature the water had been, but she felt better. The throbbing pain had pulled back to just her head, and her eyes still felt scratchy, but no longer dry. Her body was still a bit stiff, and she was shivering for some reason, her fingers frustratingly clumsy as she struggled into her clothing. Emerging into her room, she found a pair of blue eyes watching her, Spike still lounging on her bed, a small half smile on his sexy lips.  
  
"You're in my bed. Should I ask why?" Part of her feared some sort of mocking answer, but she wanted to know. Wanted to understand. Part of her hoped that maybe, just maybe... could he feel some of the same protective urges that she did? Willow shied away from trying to analyze the source of those feelings.  
  
With a supple shrug, he sat up. "I brought you here, and you seemed to have bad dreams if I tried to leave. So I stayed. Nice soft bed, and it felt good to be curled up with someone warm."  
  
"oh. umm... Thanks." She didn't know quite what to say. He'd helped her to rest peacefully.  
  
With a stretch, Spike looked at her, his expression thoughtful. "Are you hungry, luv?"  
  
Considering the question, she made a small face. "I don't feel hungry, but I know that's the headache. I need Excedrin, and then I need food. The magic... I used a lot of it last night... assuming that it was last night instead of last Tuesday or something. The power has to be replenished from somewhere, so... yeah, I should have food."  
  
"Tara and William are downstairs, in the kitchen. You missed breakfast and lunch, but someone will whip up something for you. I'll help you back to the living room." His voice was calm, almost content.  
  
Willow sighed, part of her wishing that she could just lay back down beside Spike, and not move for a while. "That sounds good, but I think I'm still a bit wobbly. I'll probably need to lean on you a bit."  
  
"Lean all you like, it's not that bad." His words were comforting as he scooped her into his arms. "I can be strong for you."  
  
Willow made a small squeak as he picked her up, before relaxing against him. It was nice to have someone offering to be strong for her, and Spike smelled good. He was nice to lean against. But there was the definite feeling that he'd meant more than the idea of helping her to the rest of the house.  
  
"What's good right after a lot of magic?" His chest vibrated a bit as he carried her.  
  
"mmmm... Something with electrolytes, like Gatorade. Then, sugars, proteins..." Willow murmured, amazingly aware of the fact that his neck was mere inches from her lips. If she leaned a little bit forward... But no. She didn't want to jeopardize his willingness to help her. "I just can't handle meat first thing after. My stomach always feels all twisted, and it won't keep meat down for a while. Maybe fruit, some bread..."  
  
"We can get you all taken care of. I'm sure Tara will know just what to fix if I can't figure out something. Which way does the kitchen window face?" He sounded like he was concerned for her.  
  
"North I think... towards the big tree. Not a lot of sunshine, but you have to watch out for even that little bit..." She rested her hand against his chest, feeling the supple motion of his muscles as he carried her. Hints of dreams flickered back to her, and the image of Spike without his shirt. If she and Tara were no longer pretending to be an item, could there be a chance... Maybe he might see her as a woman, as someone that might be desirable?  
  
Spike placed her in the large chair, as gently as if she were made of fine china. He had this little smile that had to mean something, and his fingers brushed over her hair as he made his way to the kitchen. Hope gleamed like a dewdrop in her chest, small, easily destroyed, but persistently gleaming, sparkling, the perfect fuel for feelings to grow. Could it be possible that Spike... that he saw her as more than someone to keep safe, more than a friend of the Slayer? He had to see her as more, otherwise... even if it was just the desire to keep her around so that she could keep him safe, he didn't have to be so... charming, to smile at her like that, to worry about whether or not she had nightmares.  
  
Willow found herself smiling at the inescapable conclusion. Spike liked her, at least a little. Not as a protector, not as someone that brought him blood, but... he liked her. This changed everything. Maybe those dreams weren't quite so unreachable after all...  
  
He came back with waffles, covered over with strawberries and whipped cream. Willow blinked, feeling a bit amazed by the food. "I didn't even know there was any whipped cream. It looks delicious, thank you."  
  
Slowly, Willow ate the strawberry waffles, still pondering Spike and all the recent changes. How had things changed so quickly? How had he gone from someone that threatened to kill her as part of Buffy's 'ragtag batch of followers' to the star of her naughty dreams? Well, actually, he'd been in her dreams long before Glory had tortured him. But when had the way he looked at her changed? When had he started looking at her, not just as a person, but as someone to keep safe, someone to take care off?  
  
Almost, those answers were more important that figuring out how to deal with Glory. But if they didn't get rid of Glory, she would never be able to try for something with Spike. Never know if he just liked her or if she filled his passionate lustful longings the way he filled hers. Never know if she could be Persephone to his Hades.  
  
  
  
end part 18 


	5. parts 19 to 24

author: Lucinda  
  
rating: pg 13  
  
pairings: will become Spike/Willow, William/Tara  
  
disclaimer: I hold no legal rights to any of the characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  
  
distribution: Bite Me, WLS, WWW, Cat, Red SoulMates, yourmission, Feen, - anyone else please ask.  
  
set in soon to be very AU season 5.  
  
response to Fayth's Alterna Spike Challenge:   
  
  
  
  
  
Tara felt a bit nervous as Giles sat in Willow's living room. He'd arrived laden with solid old books, his glasses gleaming and his hair in disarray. Willow had immediately asked William if he could start tea, clearly reading the seriousness of things just as clearly as Tara had. Willow was looking better, still not moving a lot, and apparently her head still hurt, but she didn't look so waxy anymore.  
  
"You said that Willow effectively cast a spell against Glory. I agree that this does seem to indicate that Willow would be the best choice for the draining... the weakening spell, and you and I shall cast the binding ritual. As for Spike and William.... hmmm." Giles had looked thoughtful, one hand running over the tooled leather of a book slowly, as if he'd hoped inspiration would soak from the book to him.  
  
William had sat there, sipping his tea, eyes clouded with thoughts and worries, as he'd been most of the day. "She will know that something is happening. Do you think that she'll... will her minions try to interrupt?"  
  
Giles had nodded, a small frown imprinting on his face. "She will undoubtedly know. Buffy hopes to encounter Glory on her patrol, to keep her distracted. That does not account for the minions, and I think it wise if we try to prepare for them. Tara and I shall attempt our ritual in the Magic Box, where Xander and Anya have been preparing defenses. Willow... I suggest that you might want to cast somewhere else, so that the energy from the binding doesn't interfere with your spell. You should also have some sort of defensive measures..."  
  
"I'll guard her." Spike's voice was firm, leaving no room for argument or questioning.  
  
Tara had looked at him, part of her wondering if this was because of the way that he'd been looking at Willow, like she was a delicate flower, something rare and precious and fragile. She also knew that if Buffy had seen those looks, it would be the beginnings of the most horrible sniping and demands of him 'leaving her friend alone'. Buffy wouldn't notice that it was something real, that the emotions in his eyes were deep and powerful. Yeah, the lesbian act would most definitely be over.  
  
"Will Buffy be alright? G-Glory is very dangerous." Her words sounded fluttery, uncertain. She hated that stammer, it exposed her fear so easily.  
  
"It's her job, that whole Chosen One thing. Buffy is the Slayer, the Slayer fights the nasty things. She's got... for once, I'm glad that she's got destiny on her side in this." Spike's voice sounded almost mocking. "Besides, this one's like that damn pink rabbit, she just keeps going and going..."  
  
"Quite true, this does fall under her calling, but..." Giles was worried for Buffy, that was easy to see. "I'm afraid we simply don't have a better plan."  
  
"Giles? Will this... how will this affect William? Will he be returned to London, before? Will he stay here and change time so that there wasn't... so there's no Spike?" Willow's slow question was something that had also been in Tara's mind. Spike stood beside her, looking startled as he placed one hand on Willow's shoulder, in what looked like reassurance.  
  
Tara felt her stomach tense unpleasantly at the question. She'd been wondering the same thing, hoping, praying that there would be some way that he could stay, some chance for them. But... It was more important to defeat Glory, to save the world. And if Glory found her Key and destroyed the world, they wouldn't have time to live happily after anyhow. "D-do w-we have a-any ideas?"  
  
"What happened with that alternate Willow?" Spike's voice was low, and sounded tense.  
  
Giles shuddered slightly, wincing at the memories. "She was much to dangerous to consider allowing to remain. Our alternatives were to allow Buffy to stake her or to otherwise get her away from Sunnydale. Willow and Anya devised a ritual to return her to her proper dimension. But the circumstances were a bit different. She was from the same point in time, merely an alternate reality. William's situation is very different, and I'm afraid that there are to many theories to allow us to know in advance what will happen. He may be returned home, he might remain here. His presence might affect Spike, or it might not, depending on the method used to bring him here to begin with. I'm afraid that travel between time and dimensions is just... well, there really isn't anything reliable to consult on the matter."  
  
William frowned, stepping closer to Tara. "I'd rather stay here, if I can."  
  
Tara looked up, her heart fluttering, and she smiled. "I'd like that."  
  
Giles looked at the two of them, and made a small noise, rather like 'tssk' as he looked away. "Ahh, Willow?"  
  
Willow giggled. "No Giles, it's perfectly okay. I'm surprised that we fooled you, with your trained observational skills. Tara and I... we were never more than friends. I just didn't want Buffy trying to set me up with any of Riley's friends, and Tara... she was sort of hiding too. But I want her to be happy."   
  
"Can I see the Slayer and Chubs' faces when you tell them that you and Tara aren't shagging?" Spike's question practically radiated amusement.  
  
"They thought that you and Willow were what?" William's shocked question caused everyone else in the room to start laughing.  
  
Looking up at him, she reached out, rubbing the back of his hand lightly. "P-promise to explain it all after the battle plans."  
  
end part 19.  
  
  
  
  
  
Giles sighed, his left hand pushing his hair away from his face, ruffling it into disorder as he took a drink of tea. Willow and Tara had deceived all of them with this... disturbingly convincing charade. Part of him wondered what would have driven them to such an extreme action, but then he remembered Buffy and her obsessive efforts to try to get Willow dating Oz in high school. Undoubtedly, she would have done something similar, or perhaps more so now. So the pair of witches had... it was quite devious. And he was quite annoyed that he had been fooled by their pretense. He was a Watcher, damn it all, and he should be better at reading people than that. Although if he was reading things correctly now, there seemed to be an attraction between Tara and William, and something similar between Spike and Willow. That was a very unsettling thought.  
  
Closing his eyes for a moment, he took a deep breath and tried to focus on the crisis at hand, instead of the new perspective on everybody's personal lives. "Right. Personal matters aside, We need to focus on our problem. I still do not know what this Key is, and Buffy is supposed to be trying to see if she can discover anything helpful on her patrols. I have not been able to determine what will happen to William if we defeat Glory. As for the portals... everything that I've found hints that the portal would operate both ways, so there would be a mingling of atmospheres, temperature transference, and of course, living creatures could pass from one side to the other. Presumably non-living things if either propelled or... independently animate, although there has been very little research on vampires and mystical portals."  
  
Tara had gripped William's hand, looking very timid and nervous. "But... I'd like... I mean...." Her words trailed off and she was blushing.  
  
Spike just nodded, his expression very serious. "If the gasses in the air can cross, there's no reason to assume that undead couldn't as well, and vampires are far from the only type. You and twitchy over there best make sure you bind her good and tight. Red..." His eyes softened a bit, and he placed on hand on Willow's shoulder. "Red needs to pull as much energy, power... well, not quite blood, from this bint as you can. That will make all of us safer."   
  
"Indeed, which is why you must do your best to keep her safe. Neither spell can fail, or... well, she'll be very angry, and we will most likely become painfully dead." He could feel himself shiver at the idea, and tried to cover it by taking a swallow of hot tea.  
  
Giles remembered the numerous occasions when Spike had been unable to hit Buffy in the research sessions. "I do not think that we should ignore the possibility of human danger to Willow during the ritual. Perhaps I should ask if Xander or Anya would be willing to keep watch with Spike..."  
  
Spike scowled, and looked thoughtful, and scowled again. "Not a bad idea."  
  
With those words, Giles was certain that Spike was truly worried about Willow's safety. Perhaps it was simply that he did not wish to fall back into Glory's hands, but... Perhaps it was more personal. Perhaps he actually had feelings for Willow instead of simply finding her attractive. The idea was not precisely appealing, but it was considerable better than the possibility that the vampire might simply try to seduce her out of boredom and lust. And Spike was a very loyal person if he cared about someone. Best worry about the possibility of a Spike and Willow relationship after they survived Glory. "Yes, very good. I'll call and let them know, they were setting up a few things at the shop."  
  
Things had changed so much in the years that he'd been Buffy's Watcher. He'd watched Buffy, Willow and Xander grow and change, watched as Buffy accepted her destiny with the aid of her friends, watched as those friends had found themselves, found their confidence and discovered skills that they could excel at. And it was simply amazing the amount of wooden stakes that could emerge from the scrap lumber of a construction site... Xander had stumbled into a relationship with Anya... that was quite the unusual story, but they seemed to be doing remarkably well together. Willow... well, she hadn't focused as much on developing a romance, especially not with Tara as they'd all assumed, but she'd grown and changed so much from the painfully shy girl who'd helped him set up his things in the library those years ago. Possibly, if Spike genuinely cared, Willow would be able to accept him enough to make a relationship work. Assuming, of course, that they all survived this.  
  
A quick telephone call had him speaking with Anya, and he explained the plan to her, suggesting that it would be wise if someone able to hit humans would be able to protect Willow during her casting. There was a brief rehashing of why the rituals had been divided as they were, and Anya decided that she would stay and help guard himself and Tara, while Xander would go keep watch over Willow. In her blunt manner, she claimed that his guilt laden former crush would make certain that he wanted her safe, and the presence of the vampire that now wanted to give Willow many orgasms would keep him properly behaved. She'd also made the claim that the binding was more likely to attract the attention of wandering demons, which she would be in a better position to identify than Xander.  
  
Hanging up the phone, he rubbed at his ear, walking back slowly. Anya's logic had been solid, even if there had been... many visual descriptions and images that he'd been quite content without. Pouring himself more tea, he sat on the end of the couch.  
  
"Xander will assist in keeping Willow safe. Anya... explained that decision in far greater detail than I'd needed, and her logic... is sound. As soon as you've decided where to cast the transfer spell, have Spike begin in any set up that is required, and inform Xander of the location so that he and Spike can consider any preliminary defenses."  
  
"Why Harris? Why not Anya? Chit's got a wicked tongue..." Spike sounded less than thrilled about having to work with Xander.  
  
Willow smiled at him, patting his fingers indulgently. "Remember Halloween? When Buffy was the helpless damsel? That soldier was Xander, and he remembers some of it."  
  
"That was Harris? Well, there might be something there then... so, luv, what exactly were you supposed to be?" He looked curious.  
  
Willow blushed, murmuring something that Giles couldn't quite catch.  
  
They had their plan, and the last details were being worked out. It was just a matter of days before the rituals, a matter of time and luck. Giles began to pray that the luck that had aided them through the years wouldn't abandon them now. May fortune smile on them, and God help them all.  
  
  
  
end part 20.  
  
Spike had been a bit surprised at Willow's choice of location. She'd chosen the old mansion on Crawford Street, where Angelus had laired, the place where Acathala had nearly sucked the world into hell. Xander hadn't been very happy about it either, calling it a security nightmare and muttering about ugly memories. Spike had found himself in full agreement for once.  
  
"Luv, why this place? I can understand not wanting to use the dorm, or Tara's place, but... why here?" He'd had to ask, not quite noticing the plaintive tone to his voice.  
  
She'd looked at him, her eyes looking a dark greenish blue and weighted with everything. "Partly because past events have shown that if there's violence, strange lights... even screaming here, nobody will report anything, and nobody will investigate. I don't need to worry about the plumbing, wiring, or walls getting damaged if we're attacked, because I don't live here. And I know there's somewhere that I can crawl over to and pass out on if the spell leaves me exhausted."  
  
"You're using logic again, Red. Think the great poof will get upset if his house gets ruined?" He'd wondered about that, imagining Angel throwing a fit, or Angelus on a rampage.  
  
"If he was that worried, he should have sold it before he left Sunnydale. Besides, if he complains, it will mean we're all still around after this, so we'll have defeated Glory. I think she's a bit more dangerous than Angel or Angelus, so he can just... stuff it." Willow had frowned, eyes going dark with anger and unhappiness.  
  
"Just let him stay gone, we don't need him sweeping back to save the day." Xander's voice had carried bitterness.  
  
He'd waited for a moment when Willow was out of earshot, holding a board in place for Xander before asking the question. "So, not that I'm objecting in the least, but what's your objection to the poof?"  
  
"Actually, Angel just broods way to much. He's all 'woe, I'm a vampire, guilty moping'. Although Angelus was a lot worse, so I'm definitely in favor of Angel over Angelus. It's more the way things change when he's here than the guy himself. When he's around, Wills and I aren't good enough anymore. It's got to be Angel on patrol, cause we can't handle it. Got to be Angel's warning of danger that directs the research, got to be Angel this and Angel that, and the only one that Buffy has any time for is Wills. That's just so that Wills can nod and 'uhhuh' at the right places while being told all about Angel. It makes me glad that he's gone." Xander's words had cracked open a glimpse, revealing the pain inside.  
  
Xander felt that he was pushed aside in favor of Angel... Bloody sure that Spike knew how that felt. "That never does sit well. At least..." He shook his head, deciding not to offer the comment that 'at least it wasn't the bird he was shagging mooning over Angelus'. Somehow, he didn't think that the comparison would go well. He felt unsettled by this glimpse of the inner Xander, especially since he understood that pain so very well. "Buffy has a lot of problems. Angel seems to be caught right in the middle of most of them."  
  
They'd grumbled a bit more about Angel, and about Buffy's issues. Xander had suddenly stopped, blinking at the hammer in his hands before frowning at Spike. "This... this is what Wills would call a bonding moment." He'd looked dismayed.  
  
"ahhh.... yeah." Spike hadn't known quite what to do about it. A bonding moment... mention of problems, emotions, some sort of issue, leading to greater understanding... ugggh, they were having a bonding moment. "It doesn't mean that we're friends."  
  
Xander had relaxed just a little bit at that. "Right. You're still the evil dead. Why am I even doing this again?"  
  
"Because of Willow. And because your bird volunteered you to be here not there." Spike had grinned a little, noticing that the declaration of his evilness had lacked some of it's usual intensity.  
  
  
  
"Right, for Willow. Which reminds me, chipped wonder. If you hurt her, if you break her heart, you'd better pull a Riley and leave the country, or else I'm kicking your ass. She deserves better, but for some reason unknown to man, she seems to like you." There had been a core of almost feral threat to those words, although none of them were laughing. For a moment, it was almost as if there was something more than mortal to Xander, more than human menace and threat...  
  
Maybe that was why instead of telling him to piss off, he gave a serious response. "I don't know what's going on with Red. But... I like her. I don't want to hurt her."  
  
They'd continued the work in comfortable quiet, with no further discussion of serious issues. Nothing more about Willow, or their various emotions. They continued to patch holes, set up alarms, and some creative booby-traps in case of an attack.  
  
"Even if the poof comes back, you're capable, Harris. This is some good work, better than most lairs I've had." Spike had offered the compliment partly to lighten the mood, and partly because it was the truth. And maybe that was part of the reason the Slayer had been able to thwart him so easily, not enough security...  
  
"Thanks, I think." Xander looked at him, as if testing his sincerity. "So, how is this supposed to work anyhow?"  
  
Spike considered how to answer that for a moment. "Buffy goes on patrol, and hopefully finds Glory. Then, Buffy is supposed to keep Glory occupied, most likely by getting her ass kicked. Meanwhile, Tara and Giles start the spell to confine Glory, which I don't know the details of. Willow gets the other spell, one that's supposed to pull power away from Glory."  
  
"Where will the power go? And what happens to William after this is over?" Xander's voice was low, almost as if he hadn't intended to speak at all.  
  
"Not sure about the power. As for William..." He looked at Xander, wondering how much he'd figured out. "What about him?"  
  
"Come on, bleach boy, I'm not a complete idiot. 'William Exeter, I used to be him' remember? I was there. What happens to him when all this is over with?" Xander was frowning.  
  
Spike sighed, wondering when he'd started to care about these people. "We don't know. Rupert's found about a half dozen possibilities, and we can't figure out which it'll be. He might be sent back to London in the past, he might stay here. He might get sent back and time change, or it might be like he'd never left. We bloody well don't know."  
  
"Well that just bites." Xander shook his head, as if considering the stress that uncertainty might be placing on Spike and William. "Umm... not literally, at least, maybe not."  
  
"Pretty much." Spike had just nodded, wishing that he had some idea.  
  
  
  
end part 21.  
  
  
  
  
  
Buffy moved through the streets, feeling far more nervous than usual. Giles had masterminded a complicated plan, assisted by Willow and his cousin William, who was sort of cute in a nerdy sort of way. Their plan should get rid of Glory permanently, or for a few thousand years, they were a bit iffy on that point. Either way would work for Buffy. She just didn't like her part of the plan. 'Go find Glory and keep her busy' had been what Giles told her. Right... go get the snot kicked out of her by the overly perky evil bitch with expensive clothing. It wasn't fair - how come evil got all the perks? She'd really hoped that she could find time to try to have a cup of coffee or something with Ben, the cute intern that she'd met when her mom had gone to the hospital. But no, once again, Slaying interfered with the idea of a real life.  
  
She knew that if she did run into Glory, things would get painful. Last time, she'd been tossed around like a rag doll, and almost had her ribs broken. It had been painful, and there would have been no way to hide it from her mom if she hadn't already known about the whole Slayer thing. The alternative, Buffy not finding Glory before the whole magical stuff started meant that Glory would go hurt the others. That sucked even more.  
  
Either way, tonight was going to hurt. She didn't like it. Destiny sucked.  
  
She felt something prickle against her skin, not a real, solid something, but a presence. It bubbled and fizzed in a painful way. She knew who it was immediately - Glory. Turning, she saw Glory walking down the street, a dress in shimmering red with lighter red gauzy layers underneath that flared around her legs and high heeled strappy sandals. It was a good outfit. Buffy wondered just how much those heels would hurt.  
  
"Slayer! There you are, I've been wondering when you would come to your senses. Tell me where my Key is and I won't have to hurt you." Her voice sounded almost too perky, like she'd had a killer cup of coffee.  
  
Buffy felt her stomach go tight, and her mouth tasted sour. For Willow, and Giles, and Xander... "I'm not telling you anything! I'd rather destroy the Key than give it to you!"  
  
She barely saw the blow coming before she flew into the side of a car, the impact crumpling the door and setting of the car alarm. Yeah, this was going to hurt. Badly.  
  
Buffy just hoped that she could buy them enough time.  
  
  
  
end part 22.  
  
Willow began the spell, centering herself as she shifted her perceptions from the physical to the energies that made up everything. She could see Xander, all golden brown and worried, and Spike, swirls of red and dark amber and threads of blue. She could feel the distinct flavor of the mansion, a useful reference if she had to search far to locate Glory. She sent her 'self' farther out, searching for the seething mass of dark red, laced with what had looked like dark green bubbles.  
  
She knew that Glory would feel it when the spell began, would feel her trying to take the power away. And Glory would probably be furious. Time to start hoping that this would work, because if it didn't... well, Willow was quite content to wait until she was peacefully old to learn what happened after you die. Somehow, she didn't think that would happen if this failed.  
  
Ah! There was the seething blob of dark red, with the dark green bubbles like the fizz in a soda. And Buffy, her energy all gold and white, streaked with purple... She'd located her target, it was time to begin this. She focused her will, and reached out with what felt like a hand, touching the edges of Glory's energy, 'grabbing' one of the 'threads' of energy.  
  
It burned, like grabbing a hot coal, and she winced, wanting to pull away, wanting to have someone make everything better. But there wasn't anyone who could do that. She couldn't stop. Instead, she began to wind the thread around her hand, trying to imagine the color changing from the red of drying blood to her own leafy green. As the color slowly changed, the portion that was green soaked into her, leaving only the blood hued tangle. Willow kept unraveling the threads from the mass that was Glory, maintaining a mass of red over her 'hand' even as she absorbed the power.  
  
It began to hurt, almost like her stomach was too full, except that this was power, not food. But oh wow, the way it made her feel... like she was invincible, like she could do ANYTHING... The white and gold pattern of Buffy was getting weaker... the energy fading. Maybe she could send some of this energy to Buffy, and that would give her more room to pull more from Glory... She gathered a 'handful' of energy, hoping that it was enough to make a difference, and sent it into the pattern that was Buffy.  
  
On the street, Buffy picked herself up from the wall that Glory's kick had just sent her into, the pain suddenly gone. Her arm was fully functional again, not numb and sluggish as it had been since hitting that car. She smiled as she launched an attack against Glory...  
  
She kept winding away the blood colored threads of power, so caught up in pulling, absorbing, and occasionally sending a portion of the power away into various places that she lost track of time. She'd strengthened the wards on the Summers and Rosenberg homes, the dorm rooms, Tara's apartment, Xander's apartment, and the one she'd placed on Spike's car.  
  
She didn't dare send any of the power to Giles or Tara, fearing that it might disturb their ritual. But she sent some to Anya, and some to Xander, some to Spike, and several times she sent power into the ties that kept Angel's soul in his body. She didn't want Angelus to come back.  
  
Willow was beginning to panic, no longer certain where she could send any of this power, certain that the wards couldn't take any more, uncertain if her friends could take more of it... wait, Buffy was hurt again, send some there.... Buffy... wait, Joyce had been in the hospital, maybe she could shape some of this into a healing spell and send it to Joyce... yes... the balancing of it made her feel like she was gritting her teeth, but the lessening in pressure that it caused was well worth it. She only felt like she might pop, not like she was going to right now.  
  
But there was still more energy, far too much power for the fragile net of blue and orange that was the spell Giles and Tara had shaped. Willow gritted her teeth, pulling again, and twisted some of the power, still half red and half greenish into a cord, 'threading' it into a 'needle' and began to sew up the rip that was the Hellmouth. Part of her was aghast that she could even consider trying this, but... It was a place to send the power. And every little bit that could slow the Hellmouth from opening was good. Threads of green and red...  
  
She began to sense something else in the pattern of Glory - another shape. One that was blue and green, something that felt like a man. She wondered how he had got there, what sort of situation that was... Something tightened, the blue and orange net settling over Glory with a painful jolt. Nerves that she'd thought burned quiet screamed again.  
  
She changed her strategy. Instead of yanking at a specific thread, she scraped at any energy that had escaped the 'net', gathering it to make it her own. Mustn't let Glory ooze her way out of the net...  
  
There was a snapping sensation, and the 'net' of Giles and Tara's creation pulled tight, all of the Glory-ness trapped inside of it, and pulsed. There was still Buffy, and the blue-green pattern... But Willow had taken enough from Glory that the trapping of Glory's essence created a backlash. That backlash was just the final bit too much, and she screamed, everything going black once again.  
  
  
  
end part 23.  
  
  
  
  
  
Spike had wondered at first if they would be able to notice when Willow worked her magic. At first, it had been nothing very interesting, just a single red head sitting in a circle of salt and herbs, murmuring something over and over. Then, her words had slowed, fading until she just sat there, her heart rate slowed, barely breathing.  
  
"She's... doing something. Best be ready, she can't protect herself like that." The sight of her so still had not been pleasant, tugging at something inside of him.  
  
Xander had looked, eyes murky with worry. "Whoa, that looks... pretty freaky. So, we wait, and if anything tries to bother her, we kick it's ass. So, do we hope that we sit here all worried and unable to do a damn thing, or do we hope something comes and tries to eat us so that it can get to Willow?"  
  
"Pretty much the philosophical question of the moment." He'd looked away, lighting a cigarette as a cover for the movement. He wasn't sure that he liked understanding anything from Xander.  
  
Things had gone quietly for a while, before a group of minions had invaded. It was up for debate if they had been drawn by the power of the ritual or just random coincidence, and they hadn't bothered trying to find out. They had just fought to keep the minions away from Willow. Xander had came through it rather worse than Spike, bruises forming over his body, lip split and bleeding.  
  
"No pitiful minion is going to hurt Wills." Xander's voice had been determined. "They have to go through me first... and after they drop me like the shmutz that I am, they have to go through you."  
  
He'd almost managed not to laugh, but the chuckle that had escaped had only prompted a mock glare.  
  
"No, seriously, I think they might be a bit stronger than I am. Almost makes me wish I could get a bit of a boost from somewhere. But Wills the wonder witch is currently pretty busy..." No sooner had the words emerged than a dark green energy swirled around Xander, smelling like cinnamon and lightning and blood. His body had arced, as if in extreme pain or pleasure, and he'd gasped before collapsing to the ground.  
  
Spike had felt confusion surge through him. "Xander? What the bloody hell was that?"  
  
"No clue..." Xander had stood up, his movement fluid, more graceful than Spike had ever seen him. His eyes still held some of that green glow, and the bruises were fading, almost gone. "But I think it was Willow."  
  
"Willow? But she's still..." He glanced into the open area, seeing the circle that enclosed Willow, the line now glowing pale green, the candles and oil lamps through the room now lit, the candle flames the same pale green. "When did you light the candles in there?"  
  
"I didn't light them. I thought you did." Xander's voice held some puzzlement. "And... I can smell the minions now... more than before. Something's coming..."  
  
There was a clatter and a dull smacking sound as something triggered one of the booby-traps, followed by an angry snarl. There was a faint smell that was reminiscent of mildew and oil.  
  
"Be ready." Spike felt himself tensing, uncertain what the approaching thing would be. A sideways glance at Xander proved most startling as well. Xander had crouched, not like a soldier, but almost like a hunter, and there was a low growl coming from him. His eyes still glowed faintly green.  
  
The creature looked almost like a shambling monster from a bad fifties horror movie, with slimy tendrils wriggling along it's back and almost rubbery looking mottled flesh in the colors of mildew and rotting wood. It stank, the scent making Spike feel almost light headed and causing a desperate urge to sneeze. The tentacles left welts, and they burned, itching furiously. As if there were tiny bits of wood embedded in the injury.  
  
Whatever had happened to Xander seemed to have given him a strength boost, because it left him able to grab the thing, pulling it away from Spike and flinging it against a stone wall. While it was stunned, they each hurled an oil lamp against it, the lamps shattering, spreading oil over the thing's body. The flames caught quickly, and the thing burned quickly, apparently highly flammable.  
  
Both of them stood as far away as they could, eyes watering, hands over their noses. Their bruises were fading.  
  
"That thing smells worse dead than it did alive..." Xander's comment was choked out. "What was that anyhow?"  
  
Spike had shrugged, now sneezing from the smoke. "Not sure... Ah CHOO! Maybe Rupert's books ahhh... ehh choo."  
  
"Maybe.. maybe we can check down the other hallway..." Xander had tugged at one of his arms, urging him away from the stench and smoke.  
  
The idea appealed, and they checked elsewhere. Eventually, the sneezing and watering eyes faded, and they felt better. Spike felt something just moments before his body was wreathed in crackling green energy, the scents of cinnamon, blood and lightning filling his awareness. For a moment, everything was drowning in sensation, his nerves on overload. Pain/pleasure, heat/cold the sensations were overwhelming, and his muscles spasmed, trying to make sense of this. It was as if raw power was being poured into him...  
  
He was on the floor, muscles quivering, gasping for air, for calm. "What the hell... I didn't even ask..."  
  
"Yeah. It was... something. Too much something, except that both of us came through it in one piece. Your eyes are glowing green, you know." Xander glanced at him, a half smile on his face.  
  
"My eyes... so are yours. Must be whatever it is that she did to us." Spike frowned, wondering what had happened. Somehow, he wasn't quite as bothered by the idea as he'd expected.  
  
There were only a few minor problems the rest of their watch, one of which was nothing more menacing than a stray dog, which ran away at their presence. Neither spoke, half suspecting that mentioning the lack of challenge would invite disaster.  
  
Spike made his way back to the area where Willow had made her circle, the glow almost too bright to look. Suddenly, Willow screamed, the sound reverberating through the mansion for what felt like forever before it cut short. The circle stopped glowing as if a switch had been thrown, leaving only a greenish after image. Willow had collapsed onto the floor, her hair suddenly longer, falling past her waist, it's hue darker, almost the color of blood. She was glowing faintly, and crackled of green and dull red moved over her body.  
  
After a moment, he concluded that this was most likely either backlash or exhaustion from the spell. Taking a breath, he noticed the same scents of cinnamon and lightning filled this room, and there was also the scent of blood. A small trickle had come from Willow's nose, and there were bloody tear tracks over her cheeks. But her breathing was the pattern of sleep, and her heart beat was steady.  
  
"Is she... did the spell hurt her?" Xander's voice was worried.  
  
Carefully, Spike lifted Willow in his arms. "She's alive. More than that, we can't tell yet."  
  
Spike laid her on the bed that he'd used when Angelus had made this his lair. He sat beside her, his fingers touching her cheek gently. "I think that she saved us."  
  
All they could do was wait, and hope. Hope that Willow would wake up, and hope that she would be herself, and healthy. Then maybe they could figure out what had happened to them.  
  
  
  
end part 24. 


	6. parts 25 to 29

author: Lucinda  
  
rating: pg 13  
  
pairings: Spike/Willow, William/Tara  
  
disclaimer: I hold no legal rights to any of the characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  
  
distribution: Bite Me, WLS, WWW, Cat, Red SoulMates, yourmission, Feen, - anyone else please ask.  
  
set in soon to be very AU season 5.  
  
response to Fayth's Alterna Spike Challenge:   
  
  
  
  
  
Inside the Magic Box, Giles and Tara had been focused on casting the spell that would imprison the essence of Glorificus in some inanimate form, a statue or gem of some sort. The spell hadn't described what the final form would look like. They finally completed the chants, 'pulling' the net of the spell around her, contracting it, making it smaller until she would be transformed out of a mortal shape into an object. They'd felt her fighting it, but her strength had faded, far more rapidly and more drastic a reduction than they'd dared to hope. Apparently Willow had managed to make an impact with that draining spell. They finished, feeling the sharp end of the power that marked a completed spell.  
  
Rupert Giles sagged, nearly collapsing from his seated position to something a bit more flat. He felt utterly exhausted. It was amazing that nothing had breeched the wards on the shop to attack them.  
  
Or perhaps there had been some trouble. Parts of the shop seemed in disarray, and Anya had a cut on her forehead, as well as a bruise developing over her eye. William had a bruise over his cheekbone, and Tara made an unhappy noise at the sight. She then wobbled as she rose to her feet, going a bit pale.  
  
"W-what did we miss? Oh..." Tara's voice was filled with confusion, and one hand went to her temple.  
  
"Are you alright? You look a bit pale..." William was there beside her, eyes full of worry and compassion and... something that could have been love. Or might at least grow into love with time.  
  
Tara dissolved the separate wards that enclosed their circle, and allowed herself to sag against William, her eyes closed and a small smile on her face. "Everything is okay now."  
  
Rupert smiled at the sight of them. It was incredibly obvious that they had developed feelings for each other, and those feelings were quite reciprocated. And unlike... oh dear. What would happen to William now? With Glory defeated, that could have an effect on the spells that she'd cast, particularly the one that had brought William to this time and place.  
  
The hair on the back of his neck got this odd feeling, similar to the sensation of electricity. But he knew that this was the result of gathering magical power, not something so mundane as electricity. He glanced tot he young couple, seeing them clinging to each other, eyes wide and confused.   
  
"I don't like the looks of that." Anya's voice was unhappy, and nervous. She was staring out the window nervously.  
  
Thunder rumbled, and there was a flicker of orange lightning in the sky. Rain was pouring down, hammering mercilessly at the ground, it's fall made less regular by gusting wind.   
  
"Do you think all the magic caused that?" Her voice was nervous, and she began to look around at all of the things on the shop. Perhaps she was considering how many of them were breakable.  
  
With a small sigh, he rubbed at his glasses, hoping to clear up the blurring in his vision. The cleaning didn't help, forcing him to admit that it was his eyes, and the exhaustion from the spell. "Most likely. I shall hope it doesn't... well, yes, best just say that I think it was all the magic."  
  
Anya turned around, apparently noticing the flicker of green light as he did. It had winked into being behind William, a pale green dot the size of a walnut, hovering at the level of his chest.  
  
"Tara? You might... I think there's going to be a portal opening." He wasn't certain what would happen to them. Would this portal simply envelop William and be gone? Would it pull all of them through, like a whirlpool? Would it just open and close without anybody being forced to pass through?  
  
The green began to grow, becoming a ring that slowly swirled and rotated. As it increased in size, there began to be a curious effect, as if some wind was blowing at William, trying to push him towards the still growing portal. This wind didn't touch any of the objects in the shop, nor did it affect anyone else.  
  
"Tara! I don't want to go away from you!" His blue eyes were filled with so many emotions, such intensity. It made Rupert's eyes prickle to behold.  
  
Tara looked at the portal, and twisted around so that she was facing William. "You can't stay here... It won't let you."  
  
Suddenly, she kissed William, her hands going around his neck, her lips over his in what had to be among the most passionate kisses that Rupert had ever witnessed. He felt rather like he was intruding.  
  
The portal reached the size of a doorway, swirling around in shades of pale green and mist, and there was a flash, and William and Tara were gone. The portal contracted, shrinking to nothingness in a few heartbeats.  
  
"Well, that was... unexpected." He wondered how he could explain this occurrence.  
  
Anya shook her head, still staring at the place where William and Tara had stood. "Damn, and Xander isn't here to give me orgasms after seeing something like that. I think... I'll go find him now. Yes, I will go find my Xander, and we will go home." Her voice was a bit higher, a bit tense.  
  
Wincing at the unwelcome images her words had conjured, he waved a hand at her. "Very well, go find Xander. Just be careful of the weather."  
  
He decided that he'd just sit there for a moment or two, before standing up. The sudden change in position had made Tara go lightheaded, he wouldn't want to pass out and fall down. No, best to just sit here for a few moments.  
  
  
  
end part 25.  
  
Buffy had been certain that even with the strange moments when suddenly, everything was all better, Glory was still kicking her ass. Those moments were strange, a weird green cast that everything would take for a few moments when it felt like every single nerve was humming at once. Then she realized that Glory's blows weren't coming quite as fast. She wasn't being knocked quite as far each time, and she was able to dodge more of them.  
  
That was certainly good in her book. If the evil baddie was getting less powerful... maybe she could hurt her instead of just getting hurt. "Looks like something's changed. Time to fight fair."  
  
She almost felt gleeful that she could finally do some damage to this hell-goddess. Especially since she'd learned that the Key was Dawn. She wasn't about to let her sister, even if Dawn had only really been her sister for a couple months, get sucked dry by some Big Evil. "You can't have the Key! Get out of my town!"  
  
"NO! Who's doing this to me? When I find them, they are going to pay!" Glory's shout echoed, and the rage in her eyes was terrible. Buffy resisted the urge to back away. The weather turned nasty, with dark clouds and thunder, and heavy drops of cold rain began to fall.  
  
"Looks like someone's not getting her way." Buffy taunted, noticing that Glory's curls seemed a bit limper, a bit less perfect. And were those bruises on that smooth skin?  
  
Gradually, things seemed to shift, and Glory's blows didn't feel that much stronger than fighting Faith. But the air crackled with magic. It was weird, Buffy could almost see it. There was sort of a net-thing around Glory, getting tighter, and sort of a cord going from Glory to... elsewhere... and since when could she see magic in any way, shape or form? Yeah, things were most definitely beyond wiggy right now.  
  
Suddenly, Glory screamed, her voice echoing as if there were at least a dozen people screaming, and she seemed to shimmer and warp, as if she were a special effect going wonky. It hurt to look at her when that was happening. There was this noise, like a grinding and twisting, and a gasp, followed by a metallic thud. The nearly choking sense of magic faded.  
  
Buffy looked, puzzled as to what had just happened, and beheld the most baffling sight. There was a gleaming statue that might have been gold, a female shape with wild curls... or maybe those were snakes, and rubies for eyes, sharp fangs in a mouth open in a scream, and wicked talons on hands that didn't look quite right. The figure was depicted in a dress, and high heels. Collapsed on the ground next to the statue was... Ben? In the same red dress that Glory had been in, and the heels. It wasn't a good look for Ben.  
  
"oohhh... what happened... rain?" Ben's voice was barely more than a whimper.  
  
Buffy blinked, wondering if the image would change if she did. Nope, still the gleaming statue, still Ben in a dress. She felt utterly confused. "Ahh, Ben? That color.. not really good for you."  
  
"Glory... what has she done now? I hate my life..." The words sounded as if he was in pain, or maybe nauseous.  
  
Buffy had a suspicion that was starting to grow, and it was pretty ugly. "She... used you, like some sort of... hiding place?"  
  
"Something like. She... she is... she's not there anymore. She was inside me. I could feel her, this evil, perky knot inside... But, how? What did I miss?" He sounded confused.  
  
"Take a look to your left... no, my left. I think.. I think she got yanked out of you." Buffy felt a little better about her own life. Yeah, destiny, doomed to die, miserable social life, but at least she wasn't on a time-share program with evil.  
  
He looked at the statue, scrambling away from it, and nearly falling over from the heels. He leaned against the battered car, it's alarm still shrilling into the rain, and took the sandals of with a wince, looking at them as if they were a horrible device of torture. "I think she looks a bit uglier that way. But I'm glad she's not.. well, in here anymore."  
  
Buffy tried not to smile, almost succeeeding. "Why don't you come with me, we can get you some different clothing, something hot to drink... out of this rain." Buffy wondered how he'd manage to adjust to all of this.  
  
"Yeah... this isn't my idea of the best thing to wear. And I'm soaked." He had a wry grin, and the sandals were still held in one hand. "Just one thing... how come your eyes are glowing green?"  
  
Buffy froze in the middle of lifting the statue of Glory, almost loosing her balance. "What did you say?"  
  
"Your eyes are glowing green." He repeated, looking at her with surprise. "Shall I assume that isn't a normal thing for you?"  
  
Buffy scowled at the statue of Glory. "They are not supposed to glow green. What's up with green anyhow, I mean, why not blue, or purple, or white?"  
  
The trip back to the Magic box was fairly short, but miserable. Anya's car was gone, but the Giles-mobile was still there. Buffy looked at Ben. "Can you open the door? My hands are a bit full."  
  
With a small nod, Ben opened the door, muttering something about this dress and evil. They went into the store, and Buffy came to a halt. "Giles? Where's Tara and William? Why are you still on the floor?"  
  
She put the statue on the ground with a thump, and hurried over to Giles. He looked sort of pasty and had dark rings under his eyes. "What happened in here?"  
  
Giles looked around, pausing over the statue, his eyes growing wide at the sight of Ben. "Why is there a cross-dresser in the store? And your eyes... they seem to be glowing."  
  
"Cross dresser? Wha... oh, you mean Ben. That's... kind of complicated, and are any Xander's spare clothes still in the back? You don't look so good."  
  
Giles had sighed, one hand reaching up to rub at his head. "There should be. Why don't you help him find something dry, and get everyone some hot tea while I try to get off the floor. Explanations can come after that."  
  
Buffy almost protested, wanting to say that she was a Slayer, not a tea-bringer. But Giles looked pretty wiped out. "Yeah, answers are of the good."  
  
end part 26.  
  
Rupert Giles sat in his chair in the back room, feeling far older than he should. Buffy had brought home a cross dresser. Was this a step up or down from a top secret commando from an organization that hunted and experimented on demons? Or from a souled vampire? Could he hope that they weren't involved? Well, he could hope, but he doubted that it would change anything.  
  
"I'm Ben. I'd like to say that I'm pleased to meet you, but... it's sort of more a general confusion." The young man seemed more normal in a pair of Xander's jeans and a gray tee shirt.  
  
"Ahh. It's been a rather confusing night for all of us." Rupert sighed, debating the idea of Scotch instead of the tea for a moment. No, the Scotch would put him out, and he needed to be awake a bit longer.  
  
"Glory had this thing where she was using Ben's body as her home over the Hellmouth. But... it seems like he's gotten rid of the unwelcome room mate, who's now an oh so freaky statue, and is all himself again." Buffy sounded far more energetic than usual for after a patrol.  
  
Looking at her, there were no bruises, no cuts. She didn't appear to be limping or favoring either arm, or trying not to jostle her ribs. "Buffy? How did you manage to come through your encounter uninjured?"  
  
"Well... that's part of the wiggy stuff. She was seriously throwing me around, and then there was like this green film, and wow, sort of a weird rush, you know? And nothing hurt anymore. It happened twice, and she seemed to be getting weaker, then.. pop and twist, she's a statue, and Ben's on the ground sounding hung over." Buffy frowned. "My eyes are really green and glowing?"  
  
"She was... after some sort of Key that would let her go home. And she... well, it wasn't quite killing them, but I think she made some people insane. She's not... I can tell the difference." Ben sounded delighted.  
  
"Okay, we've established that the evil perky one is a statue now. But where is Tara? And William? Even Anya?" Buffy sounded impatient.  
  
"Anya went in search of Xander, and I don't think we need any more about that." He shuddered at the memory of her words and the images they'd conjured. Not that there was anything particularly wrong about either Anya or Xander, but the boy was almost like a son to him, he didn't want to know the details of his sexual practices.   
  
Buffy made a face, and a gesture as if pushing something away. "Right, please don't go there. William and Tara?"  
  
"Well..." He sipped the tea, trying to figure out a tactful way to explain that mess. "William wasn't my cousin sent here for practical experience as a Watcher. He was actually someone that Glory pulled from another time, and brought here for some dark plan. We... don't have the details." He thought it might be best if he didn't explain about how William had been Spike.  
  
"And...?" Buffy looked impatient.  
  
"Calm down Buffy, and please stop bouncing. You're making my head spin." He rubbed at his eyes, wishing that everything was back to normal. "After we imprisoned her essence, there was a portal that opened to take William away, presumably to his correct time. Tara... decided to go with him."  
  
"So... William went home, Tara's been sucked into another time leaving Willow without a girlfriend, and... where is Willow anyhow? And Ben's got his body all for himself again." Buffy looked like she was wishing for a set of notes.  
  
"Yes, very good. Willow was performing her ritual at the Crawford Street mansion. Perhaps you can go check on them? After you..." He paused, knowing that he'd probably regret his next words. "After you drop of Ben and myself at our separate residences. You can drive."  
  
"Really?" Buffy looked delighted. "YES!"  
  
  
  
end part 27.  
  
  
  
Tara blinked, feeling as if she was bruised over her whole body. She seemed to be on grass, and partly on a male body... The name emerged as a hoarse croak. "William?"  
  
"Tara... You came with me. Ouch..." His groaned words gave the impression that he felt just as battered as she did.  
  
Slowly, they managed to stand up. She looked around, shivering a bit in the cooler air. There were buildings, but they didn't look familiar. No electric lights, and the air smelled... different. "Where are we?"  
  
"Home. My home, that is. London." He sounded a bit relieved. "I know where we are. Perhaps we should go inside?"  
  
London... in another century. The only person that she knew here was William. Tara could feel herself shiver a bit, and reached for his hand. "Inside would b-be good."  
  
He lead her out of what turned out to be a large park, and along a street to a large home. He walked up to the door, knocking with confidence and a small smile.  
  
The door opened, revealing an older looking woman in a long dark dress, a slightly stained apron over the gown. "Master William! You're safe, we've been so worried. Come in, come in... let's get you patched up, and who's your... companion?"  
  
Tara felt herself blushing, suddenly very aware of how different her clothing must look to someone from this time. She looked away, afraid to see reproach or disapproval from this woman.  
  
"Her name is Tara McClay, and... She helped rescue me from a terrible fate. Unfortunately, this left her with nowhere to say, so we simply must offer her hospitality here." William sounded confident, and protective, and his hand reached out to brush over hers.  
  
"Of course then." The woman's voice was low, and there was an almost gleeful note.  
  
Tara found herself flocked off to a bedroom, where she gratefully collapsed into a soft bed. She could consider all the implications tomorrow. For now, she was exhausted.  
  
Morning came with a breakfast tray and a borrowed gown that left her feeling delightfully feminine and a bit awkward. She found her way to a garden, where William sat with a woman that could only be his mother, and another man that had a resemblance, and was probably near the age of his mother. "William? Good m-morning."  
  
"Tara." He smiled, his eyes full of emotions. "I want to introduce you to my mother and my Uncle Abraham Wyndham, the one that I mentioned to you and Rupert. She's American."  
  
With a start, Tara realized that this was the proper protocol for the century, and that Uncle Abraham must be the Watcher. "Pleased to m-meet you."  
  
There was some polite small talk for a while, before William's mother excused herself into the house for something. She looked rather pale, as if she was slightly ill.  
  
"Miss McClay, under what circumstances precisely did you meet my nephew?" Abraham Wyndham's question was quite insistent.  
  
Offering a feeble smile, she looked at William's uncle. "That would be when the portal that abducted him dropped him into Sunnydale, and we had to prevent him from being kidnapped by demonic minions. S-sorry if I can't remember their name. He helped us figure out a way t-to defeat the big evil, and... we came here."  
  
"Portal... evil... I thought that you didn't want to be a Watcher?" He'd glanced sharply at William, eyebrows raised.  
  
"I didn't, but my opinion wasn't asked before I was abducted. Fortunately, I was able to be of some assistance in the research portions..." William sighed. "It was not the most comfortable method of travel."  
  
"So, does that mean you regret your trip?" Abraham looked particularly curious.  
  
William smiled at Tara, taking her hand in his. "Never."  
  
"I think I see now." Abraham smiled at the pair, looking almost amused.  
  
  
  
end part 28.  
  
  
  
  
  
Anya made her way towards the Crawford street mansion. She could feel the power humming by the time she turned onto Crawford Street, and it only became stronger as she got closer. Spike's car had wards on it that were so powerful they almost glowed. "D'Hoffryn's Beard, what has she done?" Anya gasped as she raced towards the house.  
  
Caution made her slow down before she reached the door. They'd been expecting attacks, she'd best be careful. Yes, there was a trip wire. There was something else... She very slowly picked her way tot he building, stepping through the shattered door. She could feel the wards on the place, a near tangible presence.  
  
There was no doubt where they would be. With Willow, in the center of all this magical mayhem. She moved towards the center of magic, wondering just how much power Willow had moved tonight. Passing the remains of a Vhas Terries, more commonly called the Greater Mildew, she entered the main room. One end held a fireplace, and a leather couch faced by two chairs. She could see small feet on the couch, and an elbow on the arm of one chair.  
  
"Anya." Exhaustion and worry dripped from Xander's voice. "Did everything go well at the Magic Box?"  
  
"A portal opened and sucked William and Tara through after they finished the spell. Nobody got killed. I missed you." She walked carefully, feeling almost drunk with the sheer ambient power in the room. "What did she do?"  
  
Xander and Spike looked at her, with matching glowing green eyes. Xander smiled a bit, a smile that was all Xander, and moved, suddenly there, hugging her tightly to him. "We don't know yet. We were sort of hoping that she could tell us when she wakes up."  
  
Anya felt herself gasp, and sank onto the couch, her back not quite touching Willow's feet. "What happened? As far as you two can tell?"  
  
Spike made a small shrug. "We were fighting. Got rid of some minions, round two was on the way and something hit Xander. Like a cloud of green mist, and it soaked into him. He collapsed, and when he got up, his eyes were green, and the whelp could kick ass against the moldy demon."  
  
"Don't forget the fact that it happened to you as well, bleach blond. It felt like... like I was being filled with something, some energy, and it sort of hurt, and sort of... didn't." He sighed, glancing behind her to Willow's still form. "Our best guess is that it was Willow, but... we don't know if it was supposed to do something or if it just... happened."  
  
"Urghh. That does complicate things." Anya sighed, figuring that her plan to get in, grab Xander, take him home and have many orgasms was shot to many pieces.  
  
"Any guesses, Anya? You've been watching things go in unexpected directions for over a thousand years." Spike's voice was almost a purr.  
  
Anya frowned, looking towards the fire as she tried to make a guess. "True, but... that only gives me a few things that happened before, which isn't quite the same. Okay... I'm assuming that this happened while she was pulling power away from Glory?"  
  
"There was only the one spell casting session before she screamed and passed out." Xander's voice was worried.  
  
Anya shivered, remembering all the thousands of occasions when she'd seen magic users overextend themselves, sometimes injuring their minds, sometimes burning themselves away, leaving only empty husks. Somehow, she didn't think this was the time to mention that - proof that she WAS learning a bit of tact. "Then we should assume that the power that she was pulling was too much for her to contain in herself, and she had to send some of it elsewhere. And apparently you two, and the wards on Spike's car becme 'elsewhere' for her to send power. Which is something that I should be angry about, because that sort of thing has killed people in the past."  
  
"Cheerful. So.. what would this magic do? Besides heal him of his injuries?" Spike's voice sounded a bit worried.  
  
Anya gave a small snort. "That's the million dollar question. And it depends how much power got channeled into each of you. Latent abilities could get woke up. Weak abilities can become strong. Injuries, even old ones, can be healed. Or minds can be shattered, and bodies warped horribly. But it looks like Willow had more control than that."  
  
"I'm pretty sure that neither of us got horribly warped and twisted. And I think our minds are pretty much the same, so..." Xander paused, and sneezed once. "How much Dragon's Bane is left at the store? I can smell it all over you."   
  
Anya looked at him frowning. "But there's only a little bit that got spilled on my hand this afternoon. How did you...?"   
  
Xander groaned, hands going to his head as he slumped in dismay. "Hyena'd again. Damn."  
  
"Considering the amount of power that's just standing in this room, it's probably permanent." Anya wondered what the story was on that hyena'd comment. "Do you think this will influence your sex drive?"  
  
Spike just groaned, one hand covering his face as if he were deeply upset. "Just... go somewhere else before you start shagging. I'll stay here with Willow."  
  
Smiling, Anya grabbed Xander's hand, pulling him to his feet. "I like that plan. Let's go home and have many orgasms."  
  
  
  
end part 29. 


	7. parts 30 to 35  the end

author: Lucinda  
  
rating: pg 13  
  
pairings: Spike/Willow, William/Tara  
  
disclaimer: I hold no legal rights to any of the characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  
  
distribution: Bite Me, WLS, WWW, Cat, Red SoulMates, yourmission, Feen, - anyone else please ask.  
  
set in soon to be very AU season 5.  
  
response to Fayth's Alterna Spike Challenge:   
  
  
  
Xander groaned, hands going to his head as he slumped in dismay. "Hyena'd again. Damn."  
  
"Considering the amount of power that's just standing in this room, it's probably permanent." Anya wondered what the story was on that hyena'd comment. "Do you think this will influence your sex drive?"  
  
Spike just groaned, one hand covering his face as if he were deeply upset. "Just... go somewhere else before you start shagging. I'll stay here with Willow."  
  
Smiling, Anya grabbed Xander's hand, pulling him to his feet. "I like that plan. Let's go home and have many orgasms."  
  
  
  
end part 29.  
  
  
  
She had to be awake. Nothing else could possibly hurt so much. She felt as if her insides had been scraped raw, dipped in salt, and then smoked until dry. Carefully, she flexed her hand, feeling it twinge as the muscles moved, the skin flexed. A small whimper escaped from her.  
  
"Luv? Willow, are you alright?" Spike's voice, his words thick with worry.  
  
Willow frowned, wondering why she could feel him there, sense exactly where he was, the bend of his legs, the whirling intensity of his emotions. Spike was worried about her, so she would try to answer him. The words emerged as a feeble whisper. "I don't know."   
  
"You don't know? Do I need to call the Watcher?" His hand reached out, brushing over her hair, touching her cheek. He felt cool, comforting.  
  
"mmm... cool finger. nice." She could feel an almost smile flit over her lips. "I hurt..."  
  
"Can you tell me what hurts?" Spike's voice was soft, and she could feel the worry. "DO you know what you did to us?"  
  
"Inside... I hurt. And my head..." Pausing to lick her dried lips, Willow debated opening her eyes. Deciding to try, she looked at him, seeing a blur of pale over dark. "You're all blurry... no, my vision's blurry, right?" But why did it look like his eyes were green?   
  
He gave a small chuckle. "I don't look blurry. Although there was something earlier about glowing green eyes... know anything about that, luv?"  
  
She closed her eyes, the blurry making her feel dizzy, or maybe dizzier would be more accurate. "Green is good. I'm green, she was red… red like drying blood, and all old perky and nasty… she tastes like expensive perfume… Myrrh. I pulled from her, Spike. It was… there aren't words. I took from her power, from her strength, and she couldn't' stop me… It felt… there was pain, and power… Quite the rush."  
  
"You took Glory's power. That was the plan. I still don't follow why that turned my eyes green." He sounded calm, but she could feel otherwise, he was seething with questions, and worry, and impatience.  
  
The burning pain was fading a bit, to a level where she could probably move, and function some, except that she was still so dizzy… Keeping her eyes closed, Willow carefully sat up, having been laying down for… when had she lain down? The last thing she remembered, Tara and Giles had netted Glory… "Urrgg. I pulled the power away from her, yes. But, Spike… There was so much of it. Too much of it. I couldn't hold it all, I had to put it somewhere, and I didn't dare send any to Giles and Tara, it could disrupt their spell, which was way more important than mine. I sent some of it to you, to Xander, to Buffy… I reinforced some wards… I think… I remember sending some of it to super-glue Angel's soul. And I tried… tried to shape a healing spell for Joyce with some of it. But it hurt o pull, make the power mine instead of hers, and make it into a spell before letting go, so I just gave you power. After it wasn't hers, which would be why green… I'm babbling, aren't I?"  
  
"I'd say so, luv. Why send power to us? Why not try to close the damn Hellmouth while you were drawing on the power of a goddess?" He sounded a bit amused, and maybe relieved.  
  
"That was later." She still had her eyes closed, but she felt that flash of pure astonishment. "Close your mouth. It's unbecoming to a Master Vampire to stare with a gaping jaw. And I don't know how solid it was, I may have just… sort of added tape, you know?"  
  
"Right… How much power did you pull from her?" He sounded and felt like he wasn't certain that he wanted an answer.  
  
"I'm not sure. It burned, but if I stopped, then she'd be able to resist Giles and Tara, only then she'd be really mad… There was another pattern underneath. I could feel him… She was all loose strings, Spike." She still hadn't opened her eyes. There had been fragments of memory with those threads, images, glimpses into… Elsewhere. Fragments of ritual, of a life of hedonistic indulgence, of servants destroyed on a whim.  
  
"Are you still… all Willow in there? You sound like a few things got knocked loose." Spike's question was slow, and she could feel his worry and dread.  
  
"Nice to have someone care like that…" She smiled, trying to sort that answer out herself. "Me… Willow Anne Rosenberg… not Glorificus ShaerKaeith of Haun Tauirith. Urg… I can remember things, her things. She was… evil, and… always way too perky. I think I'm still me."  
  
"Why don't you open your eyes, luv?" He felt worried.  
  
"Because I peeked… you were all blurry. Dizzy doesn't mix well with blurry. Throwing up is bad… I want to avoid it." She knew that she couldn't keep her eyes closed forever. A thought occurred to her, and she could feel herself smiling hopefully. "Spike, is there… could I take a bath? A really long soak, with bubbles?"  
  
"I think so. But before I turn you loose in a bath, I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me that you think you'll be okay." He felt worried, even though he sounded grumpy.  
  
"Fine…" She turned towards Spike, feeling him, seeing his pattern of energy with her inner eye. Opening her eyes, she saw that he was indeed still all blurry. But the blurry seemed less, and it was more like the room was all swirling with silver fog. She could still see the swirls and glow of his aura. "I think I'll be… okay to take a bath. I'll feel better after a nice hot soak."  
  
Spike felt all disturbed again, filled with worry and tension. "Right. Do you think you can walk to the bathroom?"  
  
"Still sort of dizzy. Maybe if I lean on you?" Willow wasn't certain if she could walk anything resembling a straight line.  
  
He took her hand, helping her up from the couch as if she was a delicate lady. She certainly felt fragile. Willow closed her eyes again as they moved, the blurriness making her head spin and stomach twist. The pattern of the walls was there, she wouldn't walk into anything… Spike brought her to a bathroom, with a large rounded tub. He let her stand by the sink, and pulled out a few things.  
  
"These aren't the scent that you normally use, but there's shampoo, conditioner, even bubble bath. I'll let you freshen up." He smiled at her, leaving the door open a sliver in case she had any troubles.  
  
She opened her eyes, peering at the bottles until she'd sorted out what each one held. The effort made her head throb more. She started the water, pouring in a generous measure of the bubble bath, listening to the pouring of the water. But it was cold. Why was it cold? She pulled a wisp of the fog downstairs, converting it to heat and sending it into the water before she realize what she was doing. It burned, the… what ever that allowed her to manipulate magic shrieking fiery protest at the action even as the water became near boiling hot. She choked back a sob, refusing to scream from the pain.  
  
The rest of the water poured in, still cold. By the time the water was the right depth, it was also the right temperature. She striped off her clothing, leaving it on the floor as she stepped into the water. Oh… bliss was a nice soak in an almost too hot bubble bath… Maybe she could stay right here for the next week.  
  
End part 30.  
  
Spike waited outside the bathroom, worried about Willow. She'd just seemed a bit… off. Maybe it was exhaustion, maybe it was pain, but… What if it wasn't? He liked Willow, he didn't want her to NOT be Willow. She'd sounded as if she was only half here, the rest of her mind… somewhere else. He didn't like the idea of dizziness.  
  
When he'd insisted that she look him in the eye, he hadn't expected… They didn't look the same. They were these glowing green pools of energy, similar to the way Xander's had looked, but more intense. It had left him feeling shaken. He needed more answers.  
  
Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out a cell phone, checking to see if all the fighting had damaged it. Discovering that it was still intact, he grinned before calling Rupert. Not that he ever wanted the Watcher to know that he'd programmed his number into the bloody cell…   
  
It rang a few times before being answered with a mumbled :Who the hell is this?:  
  
He resisted the urge to tease the Watcher. But it definitely sounded as if the casting had been hard on him. "This is Spike. I'm trying to get a bit of info on that spell you let Willow do. Seems that's he dumped power into some of us…"  
  
:Yes, I am aware of that. Buffy's eyes were still glowing green this afternoon. What sort of protective spell did she cast on her?: He sounded bad.  
  
"Didn't go like that, old man. Willow woke up, and I asked her a few questions. She said… Willow just dropped power into us. No protective spell on us, just lots of power. I'm worried about side effects." He paced along the hallway, trying not to be distracted by the little splashing sounds that emerged from the bathroom.  
  
:Willow is awake? How does she feel? Is she… does she seem quite herself?: The worry seemed to have brought Rupert's full mind into play.  
  
"She said everything hurts, she feels dizzy, and she's been keeping her eyes closed. She said everything was all blurry. Right now, she's taking a bubble bath, on the idea of she hopes it will help her feel better. Rupert, her eyes… they were glowing. Think you can have someone pop over here with some clean clothing for her?" Inside, he was hoping that the Watcher would have answers. That Willow would be alright. That he hadn't taken so long to realize… When had he developed these feelings for her anyhow? And what did they all mean? And he realized that Rupert was saying something.  
  
:… doesn't seem to be having any ill effects, and Xander says that he's feeling quite healthy. Anya will be over with something for her.:  
  
"What about Tara?" He frowned, wondering how everything with Tara would unfold.   
  
:Tara… isn't here anymore. A portal opened, and took William away, and Tara… chose to go with him. We're assuming that he returned to London, in his proper time.: Rupert sounded tired.  
  
"Right then. Hope they do better than I did." Tara would be much better for him… for William than Cecily had been. He just hoped that them going back didn't change his existence here.  
  
Dimly, he registered the Watcher's goodbye, and he pushed the button that would end the connection. He wanted to sort out his feelings for Willow, and maybe figure out when they'd started. She was smart, talented, capable… he respected her abilities, and her magic damn near terrified him. She'd gone against a goddess, and made an impact. But he also respected her other type of strength, the way that she didn't give up, the way she found a bit of good in everybody, and stood by her friends. The way that she'd helped him. And she looked good under those concealing sweaters and loose skirts, so there was definitely a strong helping of lust in there. He respected her, he wanted her, he… liked her.  
  
Maybe she might be willing to try dating him now? And he wondered if there was something wrong with him wanting to date someone like Willow. She was cheerful, she was so openly emotional, she was completely the opposite of him in so many ways… Bloody Hell, a little time around the mortal that he'd been and he started forgetting everything. He was a Master Vampire! He wasn't supposed to worry about 'was he the right sort for her'! He wanted her, he would make a try for her, and the only person who could make him stop would be Willow herself! That's right, he didn't have to be some mincing admire from afar, not good enough for her sap anymore. He'd ask her himself…  
  
A series of mental images flooded his mind, Willow naked in a tub of bubbles and hot water, the bubbles clinging to her skin… Willow, wreathed in the scent of jasmine from her bath… Her skin all flushed and soft, with his hands caressing her hot body… And the possibility that if he interrupted her, he could end up a vampire frog. That was NOT an option he wanted to pursue. Best wait until she was done with her bath before asking her out.  
  
To help with that delay, he moved farther down the hall, waiting in the main room for someone to arrive with clean clothing for Willow. Last night was confusing enough without making her angry at him today.  
  
End part 31.  
  
"How is she?" Xander's voice carried through the room, low and worried.  
  
Spike looked at him, somehow not surprised to see that his eyes were still glowing green, although they weren't quite as bright as he remembered them being. "Awake. She said everything hurt, inside, and that she felt dizzy. Think she had a headache as well. She also mentioned that her vision was blurry."  
  
"There's a chance that it might not get better." Anya's words weren't the sort of thing he'd been hoping to hear.   
  
"How much do you know about this sort of thing?" He tried not to growl, but there was a little bit of it anyhow.  
  
"I don't know of anyone that went up against a goddess, or anything else close to that powerful. But I've seen a lot of witches and sorcerers who decided to steal power. Generally because they were pretty unimpressive on their own. Gives a quick boost if it's done right. But if it's done wrong, or if the victim is too powerful, or if… oh, there are all sorts of 'if's that can happen. Things can go wrong. Headaches are pretty common, so is feeling dizzy. Sometimes, things never go back to the way they were before." Anya sat down, holding a bag of clothing in her hands. "I can still feel all the power here. I think… if Willow's very lucky… she is still Willow, right? If she's lucky, she's just suffering from too much magic."   
  
"I think so. She sounded a bit off, but that could be from the dizziness and pain. I'm a bit worried though, she mentioned memories, and kept saying that her vision was blurry." Spike frowned, wondering why Xander had more of a presence than Anya. "Might as well try to soak up some of this magic, Anya. You might need it later."  
  
"Can we hope not?" Anya looked worried. "Needing magic generally means there's trouble, which could mean injuries. This body is human and sort of fragile, and injuries reduce my daily allotment of orgasms."  
  
For a moment, Spike just stared at her, wondering how she could say such things. "Right… Do you want to go check on Willow? Give us your opinion of her recovery? She's also a bit less likely to turn you into a frog if you see something."  
  
Xander frowned. "This is Willow. She wouldn't turn any of us into frogs. Willow's afraid of frogs. Maybe snakes though… yeah, let's have Anya go."  
  
Anya stood up, scowling at both of them. "If she turns me into something disgusting, I will be furious with you both." With that, she huffed and stomped out of the room.  
  
"Notice any bizarre changes yet, Spike?" Xander sounded unexpectedly serious.  
  
"I've been sitting and watching her. Nothing seems different yet. What about you?" He was a bit curious where this was coming from.  
  
Xander blushed a bit. "I've noticed a few things. All the basic senses are enhanced. And this place… I can feel it. I'm also stronger than before, and… ummm… I've noticed a few other changes. Physical improvements."  
  
"Hadn't tried anything." Spike frowned as he said it, wondering if anything might have changed. What would be different? He still felt the same. "Bugger... I'm not hungry yet. I should be getting hungry by now, but I'm not. Wonder what's up with that?"  
  
"Maybe you're systems too busy with all that magic?" Xander had a small smile.  
  
Spike nodded slowly, even as he questioned the idea that it could be something that simple. "Maybe. But I won't bet on it yet."  
  
Xander nodded. "That makes sense. How is she really?"  
  
Spike frowned at him, wondering when Xander Harris, of all people, had learned to tell when he wasn't being entirely honest. Wait, he had mentioned enhanced senses… "I'm not sure. She sounds… Bloody hell, she was reminding me a bit of Dru, and I hope that it's just temporary. But she just seemed half out of touch, like she wasn't all here. But she's still Willow, not… she's Willow. And I think she's in more pain than she's trying to let on."  
  
"That sounds like Willow. I think we can deal with spacey Willow for a while, considering that she saved our collective asses pulling power from Glory." Xander was pacing now, as if he couldn't stand sitting still.  
  
"Can we deal with whatever changes she might have done to us?" Spike wasn't certain if he was asking Xander or himself.  
  
"Not seeing many options to that one. But how bad can it be to be better able to keep my mate and territory safe? How bad can it be to be able to fight off the demons and vampires?" Xander didn't even seem to realize that he'd called Anya his mate.  
  
End part 32.  
  
"Willow? Are you ready for clothing?" Anya paused at the bathroom, smelling the jasmine bubbles, feeling the humidity. She was reminded of many bad horror movies that she'd watched with Xander, remembering how stupidly some of the people in them had behaved. "You'd better be Willow, or else we will have to run away and return with violence."  
  
"Anya. Yes, I'm still Willow. Just, I'm Willow in pain. And it generally works better if you don't tell the scary things that you're going to come back." The voice sounded like Willow, with her words slow from the inevitable reaction to any strong use of magics.  
  
Pushing the door open, Anya went into the bathroom, immediately feeling jealous. "I don't have a bathtub that big. Do you think I can have Xander get a bigger bathtub? Oh, and I brought you clean clothing."  
  
"Clean clothing sounds good." Willow did something, and the water and bubbles began to flow out of the tub, draining away. She arose slowly, one hand against the wall, and reached for a soft towel, drying herself. Her skin looked flushed, but there were no bruises, no mottling that indicated internal bursting from too much power.   
  
Anya handed her the bag of clothing, not noticing until she took it that Willow's eyes were still closed. Although she seemed to be doing just fine that way, it seemed weird. "Willow? Why not open your eyes?"  
  
"Because I still feel a bit dizzy. And everything was blurry, which made the dizzy part feel worse. Spike made me open my eyes and then he got all freaked out…" Willow paused, pulling the shirt over her head. "It's still there, you know. The whole vengeance demony thing, just… sleeping. I wonder what would have happened if I'd sent power to you?"   
  
"How do you know?" Anya felt as if the skin on the back of her neck was all pins and needles.  
  
"I can see it. In your aura… And I can feel Xander and Spike in the other room. They're worried." Willow's voice was soft, almost hesitant.  
  
"They're worried about you." Anya wondered how Willow would react to that.  
  
For a moment, Willow's eyes opened with her surprise. They were like deep green jewels with a bright light behind them, far more intense than Xander's had been, and far more green than they had ever been before. Quickly, they closed again, a tear at the corner of one eye. "Worried about me? But… not afraid of me."  
  
Anya found herself staring at Willow. Had she… She had. "You pulled a lot of power. It shows. Can you come back to the other room?"  
  
Willow paused, still leaning against the sink as she combed through her hair. "I hope so… I can trail along the wall, or lean on you. I just… I just want to be Willow. No, I want to be a Willow that doesn't hurt all through my body."  
  
The flush seemed to have faded, leaving Willow's skin far paler than normal. Not waxy pale, but porcelain pale. As if it wasn't supposed to be skin at all. And her hair looked a bit different, a bit shinier. Willow had been changed by all that power, but how far did the changes go? "I suppose you can lean on me."  
  
"Thanks, Anya." Willow reached out, one hand touching Anya's shoulder, and the seething power leapt, like a spark, burning through her like a hot wind.  
  
It felt like Willow's magic, only stronger, more wild. As if something raw and wild had been caught and put through Willow… Which was actually what had happened. It burned through her, an almost familiar sensation, and she felt as if something had shifted inside. They both collapsed to the floor.  
  
"Ow. Floor hard… Willow feels breakable. That was actually what I was hoping to avoid…" Willow's voice was low as she picked herself up.  
  
"Ow is right. That was… like a magical static charge. Ow." Anya picked herself up, freezing at the sight in the mirror. She looked different, her skin almost bronze, patterned faintly with red, her eyes glowing green. Power surged under her skin. "That's… not my old look."  
  
"Sorry?" Willow's voice sounded as if she wasn't quite sure there was something to apologize for. "I didn't mean to… Are you okay?"  
  
Anya felt herself giggling. "Am I okay? I think you've made me not so human anymore. I'm fine, maybe better than fine. Let's try this lean on me thing again."   
  
This time, there was no unexpected shock. Anya helped Willow back into the room where Spike and Xander were talking, wondering just how much things were going to change.  
  
"Anya? You've joined the glowing green eyes club." Xander sounded curious, a little worried.  
  
"I feel… pretty good, actually. And yeah, she's all Willow still. Just... Willow with way too much magic. I don't think she should be touching people." Anya smiled as Willow sat on Spike's lap, wondering if that had been deliberate. Deciding that it really didn't matter, she sat on Xander's lap, cuddling closer to him. She definitely liked the new and improved version of her Xander.  
  
End part 33.  
  
Willow sighed, contentedly sitting on Spike's lap. He'd tensed when she'd sat down, but one arm had gone out, wrapping around her waist, steadying her against him. Now, she was curled up, her head on his shoulder. This was nice… Not as nice as it would be when she didn't hurt, but still nice. One hand crept up, sliding behind his head, touching his hair. It felt so soft, all rumpled and the little curls…  
  
His chest vibrated a bit as he spoke. "Happy there, luv?"  
  
Smiling, she answered, uncertain if he'd actually expected one. "Yes. You have a very comfy lap."  
  
Spike buried his nose in her hair, purring just a bit. "You smell good."  
  
He was sniffing her hair. Oh merciful heaven, he was sniffing her hair... and then she realized exactly what part of Spike her hip was pressed up against. It was a rather firm and definitely male part. She felt herself smiling. Maybe she did have a chance after all. Spike certainly seemed to find her attractive, maybe… Well, maybe. "Thanks."  
  
Anya felt amused, and that was all the warning that Willow had before Anya's question. "So… how long have you and Spike been dating?"  
  
Xander sputtered, feeling shock/confusion/surprise. "Anya! Willow isn't dating Spike! She's… well, she was dating Tara."  
  
Willow couldn't resist teasing Xander just a little bit. "Actually, Tara and I were never dating. It was a smokescreen to keep Buffy from setting me up with someone, and Tara wanted to avoid a few obnoxious guys at college… And I haven't been dating Spike. He hasn't asked me out yet."  
  
Spike went tense under her, and for a moment Willow wondered if she'd entirely misjudged his reaction. But then he was almost crushing her against him in a hug, Lips against her temple. "Sounds like I'll have to change that then. How about we catch a movie when you feel a bit less achy?"  
  
Mmmm, he smelled so good up close. Her arms seemed to fit nicely around him. Not to mention that… well, it felt rather impressive against her hip, anyhow. "That sounds good. Only, no horror movies unless it's a vampire flick that we can laugh at."  
  
"Can I steal some of your popcorn?" He was smiling against her temple, still holding her close.  
  
"Okay." She felt calm, almost peaceful for the first time in a long time. Certainly since she'd found him all bloody and wounded underneath her hedge. Gradually, the realization dawned – she had a date with Spike! "More than okay."  
  
Spike chuckled, his arm loosening just a little, in case she needed to breathe. "Sounds good to me. So… what about that comic book movie coming out? X-Men, wasn't it?"  
  
"Sounds good to me." Willow found herself smiling again, and hoped that she'd feel less achy soon. She had a date when she was feeling good enough. Something else occurred to her. "Spike?"  
  
"Yes, luv?" He sounded curious, but he also felt all content.  
  
"Don't wait for something that drastic to ask me out for our second date." She gave the mock order with a smile.  
  
"Wouldn't dream of it, luv."  
  
"So… how long has the bleached one been lusting after my best bud?" Xander's voice was teasing, but he didn't sound quite hostile.  
  
Spike made a small growl, and pulled Willow a bit closer against him. "Sod off, that's not your concern."  
  
Anya giggled. "That means quite a while."  
  
Spike gave a small growl towards her. "I always thought that she was quite bitable. As for anything else… If not for this blasted chip, she wouldn't be one of the Slayer's helpers now, she'd be my Childe and we'd be running this town by now."  
  
"I knew it!" Anya sounded gleeful. "I thought it sounded unlikely that in your effort to tell Buffy that the Initiative were jerks you had to go to Willow. There are easier ways to get a message to her. Which means that you just wanted Willow."  
  
"Oh, just shut up, woman." Spike looked again to Willow, his nose pressed against her head. "It doesn't matter when it started."  
  
Willow just smiled, deciding not to argue with Spike about that. Oh, it definitely mattered, but there was no need to badger him about it. Especially since it was sounding like he'd had an interest for quite a while now. "Maybe you will be Hades to my Persephone after all…"  
  
End part 34.  
  
Hearing her comment, Spike grinned. Hades to her Persephone? Oh yes, he could be the King of the Dead with her as his Queen. Sounded quite tempting to him. "I thought that started with a kidnapping, luv?"  
  
She rubbed on hand against his chest, over his heart. The other was still playing with his hair. "You did kidnap me already. We're just getting the more... umm, less threatening part a bit later. And unlike Persephone, I don't have a worried mother out searching for me."  
  
Spike swallowed, wondering when his pants had shank so much. They felt very tight all of a sudden… He wanted to give things with Willow a chance, to see what they could have. "No, just a Watcher, a Slayer, a Vengeance Demon, and what was that about getting hyena'd? And they all want to make sure that I treat you right proper."  
  
"mmm… and how do you plan to do that?" Her voice was soft, her breath feeling almost scalding against his chest.  
  
Dozens of passionate ideas about exactly how right he could treat her flitted through his mind. But he wasn't certain that she'd meant the question to be suggestive. "I think I can find a few ideas."  
  
Willow shifted a bit in his lap, her hip pressing against him in a way that almost made him forget they weren't alone. "Creativity can be good."  
  
Oh bloody hell… Spike closed his eyes, counting to a hundred in every language he knew. Willow was going to be the death of him. If things got any hotter, someone, most likely him, would catch fire! He practically purred into her ear. "I'll bet I can be good."   
  
  
  
There were a few noises, and then he realized that Xander and Anya had left the building. He smiled, part of him figuring that they'd left so that they could shag, part of him jealous. Willow wasn't in any shape to be shagging yet. Unfortunately for him.  
  
"Hmmm…. I get you all to myself." Willow's voice had a trace of amusement, right before she yawned. "oh, being awake seems very exhausting today."  
  
"Then rest, you did a lot yesterday. Nobody will mind." He wasn't in any hurry for her to move off his lap.  
  
"Spike-pillow. Nice." She shifted yet again, and curled a little bit.  
  
It took him a few moments to realize that she was asleep. It was the soft, even breathing that did it. Maybe he could just… sit here for a while. He could use the time to figure out if he minded being called her pillow.  
  
Something nagged at his memory. What was he going to do with that blasted Buffy-bot? How could he explain it to Willow? What would happen when someone else discovered the damn thing? Considering the amount of pain it had caused him… But that pain had caused him to realize that Willow was something. To figure out that he wanted her. To learn that she was willing to give things a chance. Yeah, the pain had been worth it.  
  
But he was still going to get rid of that robot.  
  
End 35.  
  
End Poetry in his Soul. 


End file.
